cc c c 
c c 

O c c 
K < c C 
cccd 

o c<r 

c < < c 

cc ; c. 

L C < 

C o < c 

: c< cc 

ccc 

: CluC 

p. c«XC 
c< c 
C CC 

^ c ( 

C «< < 

C ou 

C c c\ 

C « C 

C C Cc 

C <o. 

C c <o, 

C cc< 4 

C I 

C << * 



c< v c 
c c 

C c C " 

c c 

CC * C 

c: £ 

899 ^ 



C< c 
C c c 
C c c 
< < 
c c 
c c 

c 5 
c c 

c c 

c c 
c c 



•Cc c c . c. 

OSS C c c 

C c c c < c 

CO<' C « CC 

C C < C c ■ c 

C C c c <; 



I 3 

c ts 

• c u 

' C < c 

C C( 

C " 

< '< 

C cc« 

C 

CC « 
c 

<C e c 

I 

Ccc 



c c a e 

\ v- 

< CC 

c <ot«\ 

c c< c< 
c 

c c 

c c ■ 

C C"C*-, 
£ C i 
c c *< j . 



SP Si 

> r - ( - C C CC 

V S <T<*c: 

r ^ C ^CC 
f < C CCC 

/ 5 C <TCC 



ipi 

C7 <r c <z 

; : : « 

f I 

c;< < 5 

G;CC: 

c < C 

C C 
C r 

o:< c 
ccc 

ccc 

CCC 4 
CCC 4 

C« c < 

C*^ < 

C< c < 
cv<r< « 

> r < 
C C <c 

C < 4* 

9 C 

C C • 4^ 

C C 40 

C C 4^<« 



, «c 
<cc 
ccc 
CCC 

ccc 

$c 
<ic 
«rc 

CCC 

ccc 

<rc 
crc 



«c^ 



CV , c 

C S c C ' 

O'c C 
C J c c 

Co ! c 
. O ■ £ c 
<L«i I C 

Cc , c 

& C c. 
c c g r 

C , c c 
C c c << 

C ccc 
Ccc c 
C c C c 
C cc c 

< c < c 

fee c 

C < < c 

c> < c c 

C c C C 

c ^ t c 

C c c 

C7 c c c 



<c - , 
C 

" < C 

c c c 
c-c c 

c 

C c c" 
CC sS c* 
C c«? c 



. c c 

: < c 

S < c 
* c c 
: c < 
C <: 
c C 
c CC 
Cj c 

C oi c 
c « c 
c c 
c c 
C'. c 
c c 

< c 



C CC 

crccr 
c <c 
c crc 
C c c 
c '< c 



ccc cstr 

< c c. c 
cc c < 

< \ t <Md 

CCC C4£- 

ccc C4C 
cc, c 
CCCC4C 

c< < c 
Ccc CfC > 

cc c on 
c<cc< 

< cccotr 
ccc*.: 

. .. cccsc. 
«. 

c< CC « 

c C CC ■ 
c< cjS: 4 

, CCCC 4 

< CC 4 

. C CC 4T 



C c < 

c; cc 

C c r 
<C- c c 

^ v- 

CC< c 
C c c_ < 

Cc c c 

C c C 

c < c 

<• c C C 



C< c 

c. c ; c 

c:< < 
c; c c. 

C.c c 

J- < < 

Z : '« 

C < c 

c i 5 

r - c c 



C? c C 
C C^d" 
ccc c 

C< c C 
C c C . 

< CC < 

c- c.c; c 

C ( c 

c c c C 

c cere " 

c c c c ' 
c cc < 
c cc c 
c cc c 
. CCCC 

Crc <. 

c CC c - 
Cvc.c.i * 
c c c ^ « 

CCC c 4 



C C 

i; ' ; < <r c 
«C5C#C c 



c 




c 


c <c 


c_ 




c 


■CT 


* r 




c 


4CZ" 


C 


c 


c 


c 


c 


cr 


c 


' 4C 


1 c 


c 


<" 


<c 


c 


«r 


Cc 


c 


c 


cc 


■ c 




.C.C;" 


c 


cc 




<; 

<-'< 

'■ /Tt' 





CC " 
ccc 

. CCC 

. ccc 

CCC 

c<cc< 

CCC rt. 

ccc 

CCC 

ccc 

ccc 
CCC 
ccc 
ccc 



ccc 
ccc 

cccc 

CCCVC 

ccc c 
cccc 

CCC C 
CCC C 

Sec c; 
c/ <c c c 

CC4C 4T 
4TC«C ^ 



C c c c 

CC c C 

dec c 

C^C <• C 

C ( c i 

c c 
<Xc C 

C C C C 
^ < C C 
Cc ( C 
Cc ' c 
Cc • c ' 
C C 
Ccc c 

C C «r 

c c r 

Ccr c 
Cc r 

ccc 
CJr c 

<r _( c- , 

' 4 

C' C , < 

4. 



r ccc - c. < 
" CCC C < 

< ccc c 

C CSC 4C d .< 

c c<xi«l CC< 
.j> ccccc c 

:C: CCC4K»' C 

ccc c 
c<n4Kc c 

c^«c: c 

ccc 'ic c 
CCC C< 
ccc 4CV c< 
cccr 4sc o 
cccr d d 



c c c 

C <C C 
C C C 4 

Z C CC c 
c c c c 
c c c c 

«c c c 
c c rc i 
C C C 41 

c c c < 

C Cc C < 
C Cc c C. 

c ccc c 

S JC c< c C :- 

< ccc c 

C C c C 
C c c < 
C c c C 

c; c c c 

c ^ 

dc c CC < 
Cc c C < 
Cc c C - 



C cc 

C Cc 

C ccr 

C C< 

1 cf< 
S 43E 
CCC 



c C t CCC 



ccc: m c c < 

orx- ; c _ c ' c • 

ccc *c: -dec; 

ccc •• C C c, 
ccc. • 1 1 c c_c_ 

C CV5^ 4t CCC 

•r ^ • *^v^ *r" ccc ■ 



ccc I Owe 

ccc cccc 
ccc *m: ccccc- 
ccc cc <r 

CCC Cc c 

CCC C Cc c 
CCC.. 4C c i 

ccc «c c c 
ccc 5 < c 

ccc C c 

CCC C c .- « 

s . 

C <C -C . c 
- . « C 

< <c c 



CCC 

cere 
ccc 
ccc 
ccc 
ccc 
ccc 
ccc 

c cc . 

#<^^ 

^ 

4T, <C <C 

c ' <c c 



C < C 

c c 

c m c 

<- v r c 

ft i 

cr* < « 

c j < 4 

a* \ 

c. V < < 

^ cfct< 



.«c «c" < 
XZCT c 
c 

c « . 

tH 

•.• ccc: 

. c CC • 

< c 



< ' ■' 

c ■ « 
C < 
C ' 

C cc •< 

c < «■ 



3 C 

c 



I 



ft \Tcc 

;: < * c: 

&c <tc 

r c 4 <■ 



) c 
c 
g c 

c C 

S c 



c . 

cc 
C 
cC 
<c 

<rr 

:-<C". :. 

<C ! 

<c 

si 

cC 

cc 

-c 

< < 

. c 
. ' < , 

KC ' 

r .<.< 

c c 

« «c 

< C - 

I c 

c c ■ 



c c ■ . < > <i. »■* c ^ 
C c i. < C C c 
<z « < < «c c c 

:" < • c cc cl< i< c 

C Cc^ c CC * C < C 

^ c c • < ■ c 
<cccc.dc «rc cc 

CC '. c - C. - c C 

<CC< c cc^cx c. 
~ .• <£*• <• < err. CCC< 

cc c < C <.< c 

<£•■ - < C Cc c 

c c; < ■ cc^r 

<-< c c O c c 

«r <: < c- 



o 5 
< . c 

<C' ' c 

< cc 

< ( 4 <C 

<C C* cc 

<: c c. cr 



: cc <c 

fe e d« 
<" « <x 

c c ' 

c « c. < 

CLc C 

<c <: 
c c 

c c 

c c_ 
c c 

< <: 

C d 
c C 

c c 

c c 

c: c 

c c < 

c C 



C c<3C 

: ecu;, 
c: «c._ 

C <<.C 

c c<^ 

c ccci 

c c<r 

<;«: 

(CC 

cccr: 
ccc 
< < <: 

<a£,Cl"«Cl_ 

cc cc 
< . <" 

<< C 

<? c^ ^ 



cr < 
c c 

g I 

c: 

•d. c: < 
c: 

£ c c - 

c < 

c c*<V 
<' a « 

d Cc-.. 
d 

c < 
; c c> 
c < 

CTC: 
C c < 
CTcCZ 
C'CI 

ci< <s 

ell 

cccr 

C cCC 



" c c 

;. ? : ^ 

C <: 
C C 

C. c„, 

o« cc 
c c 
c c 
c- c. 

1 "I 

^ <" c 



e c 

• <rx <• 

*C c - 

< or 
<T < ? 
<d c < 
*z < c 
cr c c 

C < r 

cr *c < c 

■ -c^c: 

2 «£.---* C 

r «o c 
c 

ccc 

ac:s<r r c_ 

«occr 

cc C" 

'.C 'c< C 

«ccc 
«c;<c c_ 

*C.c« c 

c c 



c cc 
C CC 

ccc 

o < c: 

cc c.cr 

c -c 
: Vi 

< c 

c C 

CCC 
c c 

tec 

C c c: 

c r < 

r cr-< 4 

rcc < 



c C 

c c 

C c C 



c c 
c « c 
c c 
C^ C 
Ct C 



c: c" c <.. 

cr c c c„ 
c: C c < 
c;. c c c; 
c < c c 
cz-.c c c- 
c^c c <c 

: cg .c <- CL 
<?C c c 
<C<: c < 
ccc c c 
crc r d 

cc.c c <cr 
ccc c ccr 



, c 

c «c;<c 

« C «3C 

cr «ec.(<- 
cr «^ 

C -*C..c<r 

'.c: «cc< 
<Z mse c i 

c: .. c « 

c «a»e; <>.« 
■•- c c:. c cc 
c c; c ■ 

C ^GC .CC 

c «si9r cc 
c: 7 ^^r, e^: 

c «etr; « < c 

c «r cctc 

C «GC CCC 
C «GC. ccc 

: «r cvc. 
: «xr ^c 
^i^r _^<^ 

-3fe; ccc 

«3C C&C 
<fiCT CC 

CICC, 
. ecv ccc. 
•/C" ccc 

<<c ccc 

c<r ctcci, 

<ic: <scc: 

cr cscr 

cr c<c 



c c 

c c 
c c 

C C 

in 



o ccc c: 
e» c 

C<«8 C 

cc€ cr 



. c -ccc 

5- ^c>-<--- 

c ccc 

r." <r ^<?ccs 

:ror ^c 

: <z:. «.CfCC 
< C -:.C«<<: . 

<r cccc: 

;< C"- «src<c< 

O *ccCC. 

.err «icc 
cr «c«c. 
c: «§c<r 

c _ «gc^c: 
r ^«rrcc-.<. 

r ^£ 

r «ccc 
; «c«c C. 
z SKccrjcr 

C • «sC >cc «c_ 

: ^r^__«c < 
&r^d 



■CCc.c cC 
C ccc C 

ccc 

cc c 

ccc 

c cc c 

C'CCC 

core 

<£.<Q. C 

CcCC c 
cr c c 

ccc C 

<r<c c 

C<- c C 

c c. 



r cccr. 
j~ csccr 
: ccc. 
: <:<fc 

crcc 

ciccr. 
ccc 

€T<C<1 

ccc 
cr cc cr 

<r <~ c 



<r«c - 5^ 



^ IP 

crc c 4 

crc-c < 

C_c c < 

cr< c ^ 
c cr c c < 

C3 C C 

< / 

See 

C-c " C 



C 'CCC 

c - m 

<Z Ccc 

C 'CCC 

c exc- 
el" Ccc 
C dec . 

C Ccc 

C CCcCC 
C ccc 
CI 'Ccc 
c o c 
^ cC-i c 
^ <C'c c 
" cC C 
<3 C 
Cc C 
Cv c 
Cc c_ 
CCcCC 
CC. CC C 

cC« c 

ccc 
ccc 
c c c 
ccc 

ill 



•8^ 



/ 



LANDS OF THE MOSLEM 



BY E L-MUKATTEM. 



HOC EST VIVERE BIS 

vita posse priore frui. — Martial. 




NEW-YORK: 
ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, 



No. 285 Broadway 
18 5 1. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by 
ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of 'New- York. 



EDWARD 0. JENKINS. PRINTER , 
1 1 4 Nassau Street, New York. 



Conhuta. 



FIRST VIEW OF EGYPT, .. 5 

CAIRO AND ITS ENVIRONS, 21, 38 

THE NILE, ? . 49, 64 

THEBES, . • . . . . .77 

THE NILE, . 95, 118 

THE DESERTS OF SUEZ AND SHUR, . . . .134 

THE DESERTS OF SIN AND SINAI, . . 152 

THE DESERT OF SINAI, • .171 

THE DESERT OF PARAN AND AKABAH. . . . 189 

EDOM, . . . . . . . . .205 

EDOM AND THE "SOUTH COUNTRY," .... 229 

JUDEA, . . . . . . . . .239 

JERUSALEM, .... • . . . 262 

JUDAH— BENJAMIN— EPHRAIM 276 

SAMARIA AND GALILEE, .293 

GALILEE AND SYRO-PHCENICIA, 316 

LEBANON, . ." . . . . • 337 
THE MEDITERRANEAN, . . , . . .352 
APPENDIX, . 369 



ALEXANDRIA— MAHMOUDOTH CANAL-THE NILE-CAIRO. 

On the first day of February, 1849, commenced my 
personal acquaintance with Egypt. Though a north- 
west gale was urging our steamer into all the gymnastic 
accomplishments of which a vessel is capable, and 
though our strained vision could only rest on low sandy 
shores, apparently scarce raised above the sea, yet 
there was a decided satisfaction in the moment, as pro- 
claiming the beginning of our initiation in Oriental 
mysteries and the end of a tedious voyage. A few 
hours after, we were entering the Eunostus, or western 
harbor of Alexandria. Windmills innumerable, with 
their eight gigantic arms whirling in the gale, were sta- 
tioned as sentinels along the coast ; mud villages clus- 
tered about them, as timid children hanging to their 
mothers ; clouds of sand filled the air, and a fleet of 
vessels, from the three-decked man-of-war to the fisher- 
man's cockle-shell, were tossing at anchor in the ex- 
posed harbour. On our left, and forming the sea-side of 
the port, was the Island of Pharos, which for more than 
2,000 years has been married to the mainland, Ptolemy 
Philadelphus having officiated at the ceremony. It 
2 



6 



NEW SCENES. 



was at the eastern extremity of this island, and, conse- 
quently, upon the eastern harbour that the celebrated 
Pharos stood, which ranked among the seven wonders 
of the world. Winding among the shipping, whose 
blood-red flags, bearing the star and crescent, remind- 
ed us of our Mussulman neighborhood, the " Lycurgue " 
cast anchor before the town. Straightway Arab boat- 
men, with flowing garments and huge turbans, were 
vociferating around us, their myriad boats dancing 
wildly on the troubled waters. We were soon in their 
midst, and having selected a crazy skiff, among peals 
of inimitable jabber, only to be likened to a perpetual 
lire of musketry, we were pulled to the shore. Here 
was a scene of unparalleled noise and confusion — sore- 
eyed, half naked Arabs, in the various capacities of 
boatmen, porters, guides, and spectators, all lavishly 
indulging in their gutturals, and adding tenfold to the 
mystification with which we had ever regarded the 
land of mummies. Summoning a good looking drago- 
man, who had hailed us in tolerable English, we elbow- 
ed our way out of this bedlam, slipped a " backsheesh 5 ' 
into the ready hands of a squalid customs officer, and 
formed a procession through the unpaved streets to 
the Frank quarter at the other end of the town. The 
streets or lanes were crowded with donkeys, camels, 
and humans, the houses were low, meanly built, and 
filthy, and the inhabitants ragged to a uniformity — but 
we were relieved by the Frank Square, which, sur- 
rounded by hotels and consulates, wore an air of corn- 
fort and cleanliness. The hotel d'Orient received us, 
where we sat down and tried to believe our presence 
in Egypt. 

And now a word regarding Alexandria's history. 
Three hundred and twenty-three years before Christ, 
Alexander had seen the advantages possessed by the 



MODERN ALEXANDRIA. 



7 



site of the village of Racotis, as a station in the transit 
from Europe to Asia — the Mediterranean connecting 
it with the extended coast of Spain, Gaul, and Italy? 
and the Nile and Red Sea uniting it with the wealth of 
Arabia and India. The mind to design and the power 
to execute were found in the same person, and Alex- 
ander laid the foundations of a city whose fame has 
already been worthy of the name it bears, and whose 
future glory is yet to be written. For more than a 
thousand years it was the capital of Egypt, under the 
Ptolemies and the Roman emperors, when the Saracen 
conqueror almost destroyed it through fear of a re-con- 
quest by the Romans. It however partially recovered 
from this blow, and prospered with varying fortune 
until the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope in 1499, 
and the conquest of Egypt by the Turks in 1517, 
which two events again palsied the enterprise of this 
commercial city, so that its population fifty years ago 
had dwindled to 6,000. Mohammed Ali, however, has 
revived the spirit of the decayed city, the British tran- 
sit has assisted in the revival, and Alexandria now 
holds nearly 100,000 souls, and under proper govern- 
ment would regain the glory of its halcyon days. But 
whether this result will be obtained under Moslem rule, 
or will need the energies of European spirits, is a pro- 
blem for the future to solve. 

The modern town is built on the Heptastadium, or 
causeway, that connects Pharos Island and the main- 
land, while the remains of the old city are to be seen 
to the south, between the Mahmoudiyeh Canal and the 
sea. 

We sat at our windows and looked curiously down 
on the novelties that attracted our attention in the 
square. Women in sombre blue garments which con- 
cealed the entire person except the eyes, the yashmak, 



8 



ANTIQUITIES. 



or long covering for the mouth and chin, hanging 
down, and reminding forcibly of an elephant's trunk — 
men in the flowing and slovenly garments of the Egyp- 
tian, in many cases mere bundles of rags — here and 
there a lordly Turk in braided-cloth jacket and full 
pantaloons, with his inseparable pipe in his hands, or 
borne by a servant — meagre-looking donkeys, with 
half-naked urchins propelling — long lines of camels, 
with the halter of each tied to his predecessor's tail — 
such were some of the new sights witnessed from our 
windows. But we had small time for gazing and medi- 
tation. The canal boat for Atfeh and Cairo was to 
start the next morning, and we must consequently 
make the most of our day in Alexandria. As soon, 
therefore, as our letters could be finished and ourselves 
put in some order, we perambulated the labyrinthine 
ways of the city, drinking in large draughts of Orien- 
talism at every turn ; and, before the day was complet- 
ed, we were fully familiar with tarbooshes, turbans, 
yashmaks, kefiyehs, and a hundred other Eastern im- 
provements on the original fig-leaves. The next morn- 
ing we made a rapid survey of the principal objects of 
interest, regretting not a little our limited time. Pom- 
pey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needles always appear 
to our minds on thoughts of Alexandria, and they 
are almost all that is left of the ancient city. Pom- 
pey's Pillar has been supposed to be the work of 
Pompey, of Julius Caesar, and of Severus, and some 
have considered it the only remnant of the famous 
Sarapeum — but the truth is known by the Greek in- 
scription upon it, deciphered by Salt and Wilkinson, to 
this effect : — 

*• Pujjlius, Prefect of Egypt, erects [or dedicates] this to the 

most honored sovereign and protector of alexandria the 

invincible Diocletian." 



POMPEY'S PILLAR. 



It is most probable that the shaft (which is one piece 
of red granite, 73 feet in length,) is the work of the 
Grecian era, but the capital and pedestal are the works 
of Diocletian's period, when the whole was put together 
in honour of that emperor. That it is a patch-work 
affair, the fragments of old Egyptian buildings in the 
base amply testify. Wilkinson very wisely supposes 
that its erection records the capture of Alexandria by 
Diocletian in A. D. 296. The column stands on a slight 
elevation, and, by its height of nearly 100 feet, forms a 
conspicuous object from all directions. Its imposing 
shaft is miserably disfigured by travellers with little 
minds and great ambition, who have recorded their 
names thereon with staring hugeness. I must treat my 
readers to a quaint description of this monument, given 
by a worthy, named Joseph Pitts, who visited Alexan- 
dria and other parts of the East about the year 1680 : 
— " There are several Pillars in the Ruins of Old Alex- 
andria, of a vast bigness and height ; one, especially, I 
did much admire, for it is as big about as three or four 
Men can fathom, and higher than I could throw a stone ; 
it shines like Glass, and the Color of it is much like 
Porphyrian Marble ; it looks as if it were one entire 
Piece, with some curious Stone-work on the Top of it ; 
but I am persuaded it is artificially made, and consists 
of several Parts, though so well done that the Joinings 
are not discernible ; for I can't see how it would other- 
wise be possible to mount it, and place it in its present 
Position. 'Tis called Pompey's Pillar." The same 
writer also sagely remarks that " No doubt this (Alex- 
andria) was a very famous city in former times." His- 
tory must be very grateful to Mr. Joseph Pitts for his 
support. The so-called Cleopatra's Needles are now 
known to have been brought from Heliopolis by one of 
the Caesars, to adorn the entrance of an Alexandrian 



10 



MAHMOUDIYEH CANAL 



palace, the obelisks having been originally erected by 
an ancient Pharaoh, Thothmes III. They are situated 
near the border of the Eastern port, among the deso- 
late mounds of the old city. One is fallen, while the 
other retains its erect position. 

A fragment of a beautiful mosaic floor has been 
lately found in the neighbourhood of the city, and is 
probably a relic of the Cesarean provincial capital. 
The subject is Medusa's head, and reminds one of the 
finished examples of this art in the deserted houses of 
Pompeii. We rode along an avenue of acacias to 
Said Pacha's palace, and there, for the first time, ob- 
tained some idea of oriental magnificence and luxury : 
spacious divans, exquisite siesta chambers, and other 
soft effeminacies so well understood by our Shemitic 
brethren. 

We were forced to give up the catacombs, as our 
time was fast expiring, and hurry back to our hotel, 
where the mysteries of packing and preparing were 
performed with most undignified and unoriental alacri- 
ty. By 10 A. M., we were riding in an omnibus to the 
canal boat on the Mahmoudiyeh Canal, having formed 
but a slight breakfast on the ruins of Alexandria, and 
thus not injuring our appetites for the greater glories 
of the past that awaited us at the Pyramids and in 
Upper Egypt. 

The Mahmoudiyeh Canal deserves some notice. It 
was cut by Mohammed Ali, in 1819, to facilitate com- 
mercial intercourse between his capital and the sea, 
as the old route down the Nile past Rosetta was 
dangerous, from the sand-bars at the mouth of the 
river. In true Eastern style, therefore, some 300,000 
men, women, and children were driven to the scene of 
operations, and whipped to the work of digging out a 
canal of forty miles in length, seven and a half feet in 



CANAL TRAVELLING. 



11 



depth, and two hundred and twenty feet in width. A 
sufficient supply of provisions for this immense multi- 
tude was not prepared, the requisite implements for 
the work were not at hand, and there were no pumps 
to keep the water out of the trench : and the natural 
consequence ensued. Between 20,000 and 30,000 of 
the miserable labourers fell by disease, and were buried, 
sometimes, before life had entirely left their bodies ; 
but what w r as that to the Egyptian Pacha ? The. canal 
was completed in seven months, and he was satisfied. 
The canal commences at Alexandria, and runs easterly 
to Atfeh, on the Rosetta branch of the Nile. It is 
rudely constructed, as might be imagined; and from 
the constant filling of its bed by the debris from the 
sides, will doubtless, ere many years, require another 
offering of 20,000 Egyptians to continue its utility. 

Our canal-boat was a tolerable specimen, towed by 
a puffing steamer of diminutive dimensions and cor- 
responding power. A gale was blowing, and we had 
not proceeded far upon the tortuous stream, when our 
gallant tug gently drew us into the branches of an 
overhanging tree, from whose embraces it had not the 
ability to extricate us. Our Arab crew were instantly 
everywhere, — in the water and on the boat, in the tree 
and on the shore, scattering most prodigally their lung- 
exhausting, ear-splitting yells, as if by incantation to 
give us release from our stationary position ; ropes 
were cast in all directions, and the sage sons of Mo- 
hammed pulled east, west, north and south, as each 
one found a hawser to handle. Matters thus remained 
for a half hour, in which we had ample amusement in 
witnessing the Saracenic homoeopathic method of re- 
moving a difficulty by increasing its entanglement ; 
until, when our amusement began to give way to impa- 
tience, by an unforeseen and unexpected concurrence 



12 



MIRAGE. 



of event?, we found ourselves again in the stream, cast 
loose upon the " raging canal." Our crew, not bur- 
dened by useless garments, swam out to rejoin us, and 
the excitement of our wreck was fast abating under 
the influence of new scenes in the " land of Ham." 

The banks of the Mahmoudiyeh Canal are certainly 
not picturesque, but they possess interest enough to 
set off this deficiency. For upon our right was the 
wide Lake Mareotis, upon whose borders grew an- 
ciently the celebrated wine, 

" Mentemque lymphatam Mareotico " 

Hor. Od. 1, 37, 14. 

whose former existence present appearances would 
almost make us doubt. Farther on, we look over the 
Bay of Aboukir. by which stood the Egyptian Nico- 
polis, built in commemoration of the victory gained by 
Augustus over Antony. This spot has obtained addi- 
tional celebrity by the modern victory of Lord Xelson 
over the navy of France. It was in this vicinity we 
were for the first time spectators of a mirage. The 
nothingness of the lake and verdure beyond was scarce- 
ly to be credited, and gave us experimental acquaint- 
ance with the fact that our senses are not always to 
be trusted. This natural phenomenon is the effect of 
different strata of air of different density, in the present 
instance the lower stratum being the warmer, and con- 
sequently the more dense. There is a grand moral 
lesson illustrated by the mirage — "We must walk by 
faith, not by sight." 

Our canal trip gave us a more intimate knowledge 
of things in Egypt. In the missing fingers, eyes, and 
teeth, that should have had place in the persons of our 
crew, we saw the effects of Mohammed Ali's system 



ATFEH. 1 3 

of conscription, the dread of which causes thousands 
thus to mutilate themselves and their children, to avoid 
a compulsory patriotism. The cunning tyrant had met 
their evasions by organizing a regiment of these self- 
disabled subjects, wherein the eyeless was compelled 
to aim with his left eye (for their fears had never 
driven |iem to total blindness as a refuge), the tooth- 
less was shown a new method of opening a cartridge, 
and the fingerless was forced to bring one of his sur- 
viving digits to perform the duty of its departed brother 
in the service of the trigger. We were not a little 
astonished by the Paradisical indifference with which 
the unclothed human figure is considered in Egypt, a 
bodily frankness rather amazing to the ladies of our 
party, who, like Joseph's brethren, could protest that 
they had not come into Egypt to spy out the naked- 
ness of the land. 

For more than ten hours we were travelling on Mo- 
hammed Ali's great canal, passing numberless mud 
villages, that strongly resembled rude ant-hills, until, 
under a brilliant moon, we reached the villanous vil- 
lage of Atfeh. the termination of the canal, and the 
place of our embarkation upon the Nile. We here 
had our first view of the great river : but. not bein£ in 
condition for rhapsodies, regarded it with no more 
astonished gaze than if it had been the Croton or the 
Spuytenduyvil. The truth is. ten hours in our cramped 
quarters on the canal-boat had rendered us proof 
against any sensation save that of sleep ; and the 
barking dogs of Atfeh could avail little to put us in a 
better frame of mind. We therefore, as speedily as 
possible, transferred ourselves from the canal-boat to 
the neat little steamer that awaited us ; and while tur- 
baned Arabs were making all the noise possible in 
transferring the luggage and freight, we hastened to 



14 



THE NILE. 



the cabin and laid ourselves out upon a table for the 
night, philosophically banishing all Nilotic thoughts 
until morning. This steamer was one belonging to 
the Transit Company (formerly an English, but now 
an Egyptian enterprise, as far as the passage through 
Egypt is concerned), and is one of the very few that 
have ever paddled in the waters of the river of the 
Pharaohs. 

Refreshed by sleep, we rose from our beds (1 should 
say, tables), ready to feel all the inspiration that the 
Nile could impart. We were opposite the mounds of 
Sais, once capital of Lower Egypt. An unsatisfactory 
gaze, and we were past them, hastening on to the Pyra- 
mids and Grand Cairo. The banks were flat and 
sandy : here and there the white tomb of a sheikh, 
like a detached oven, caught the eye — then one of the 
queer ant-hill villages rose on its mound sufficiently 
high to escape drowning in the inundation— then a 
line of camels paced with measured tread along the 
shores ; and at various points the black tents of the 
Bedawin formed a resting-place for the eye in the 
midst of the 'dreary scene. In general, a strip of cul- 
tivated soil bordered the sacred river, but often the 
desert had asserted its power, and carried its sandy 
triumph to the water's edge. A point of great interest 
upon the Nile, is the junction of the Rosetta and Da- 
mietta mouths, about ten or fifteen miles north of 
Cairo ; for near this is in progress the great work of 
damming the Nile — a work which, if completed, might 
give Mohammed Ali a rank with the Rameses of 
antiquity. Myriads of toiling Egyptians, like bees 
around ;i hive, were swarming about the erection, and 
their numbers, with the already accomplished portion 
of the work, gave token of the greatness of the under- 
taking. Some time before reaching this point, we had 



BOULAC 



15 



descried the Pyramids, and for an hour we were tra- 
versing the boat from side to side, and from corner to 
corner, to keep them in view as the windings of the 
river altered the direction of our progress. At two 
P. M. we halted among a crowd of small craft at Bou- 
lac, the port of Cairo. This town contains 5,000 
inhabitants, and is a slight improvement upon the vil- 
lages we had passed on the river. Its minarets give 
it an air of importance, and a busy crowd upon the 
steep banks show its claims to commercial considera- 
tion. We experienced as warm a reception as at 
Alexandria, all Boulac shouting in salutation, and ex- 
cessively obliging boys were earnest in offering their 
donkeys for our use — but there was an omnibus there 
— and what power an omnibus has upon the movements 
of a New Yorker ! Though we listened in vain for 
— " Broadway — ride up ?" — the bait was tempting, and, 
with the majority, donkeys had to yield to their long 
yellow rival. Individually, however, I remained ; and 
having seen my luggage safely deposited on a truck, a 
spirited donkey was selected, and I took the road to 
Cairo, followed by an Arab boy, by way of spur ; the 
fellow doubtless knew me to be a neophyte at donkey- 
riding, and this was sufficient reason for his exertions 
in calling out my embryo ability. The obstinate beast 
turned as many corners as a tacking ship, and, in spite 
of my utmost endeavours, kept under full sail, dashing 
headlong among the groups of pedestrians, now bring- 
ing my head against a hanging branch, and then bruis- 
ing my leg against another rider, until, to crown the 
measure of his iniquities, he carried me fiercely into 
the centre of a muffled harem, who were taking the air 
on horseback. Several bamboo rods, wielded by the 
attendant slaves, put me and my donkey in the right 
way, while the persecuting boy followed with redou- 



16 



ARRIVAL AT CAIRO. 



bled shouts till we gained the gate of Cairo. Passing 
through the beautiful Ezbekiyeh — the large park of the 
city — I was obliged to tear mself away from Donkey & 
Co., to enter the Hotel d'Orient, an offshoot of the 
Alexandrian House. 

Cairo, called by the Arabs " Musr-el-Kahirah," is 
now the capital of Egypt, and contains a population of 
200,000 souls. It is a vast collection of narrow lanes 
and dingy low houses ; but yet, in its extreme oriental- 
ism, from its mosques and minarets, from its balconies 
and bazaars, from its camels and costumes, from its 
gardens and gayety, and especially from the lovely 
Ezbekiyeh, has an inexpressible charm for the traveller's 
heart. High over the extended city rises the citadel, 
which contains within its wide precincts the palace of 
Mohammed Ali, the courts of justice, and, above all, 
the new mosque, built of Egyptian alabaster and pos- 
sessed of the most exquisite minarets conceivable. 
From this point, not only all Cairo, but its vicinity 
(green towards the Nile, and arid towards the east), 
lies before you : the great river flows beyond, and still 
farther stand the Pyramids — the voices of the olden 
time. Behind are the Mukattem rocky hills and 
mountains, beyond whose desolate barrier is the way 
to the howling wilderness, whose plains and valleys 
must ere long become familiar to our footsteps. 

Cairo was founded in the year 969, under El Moez, 
the first Fatemite Caliph of Egypt, and four years 
thereafter became the capital of the country, an honour 
which it has continued to retain — so that the mosque 
of Tooloon, of large dimensions and imposing archi- 
tecture, which now stands within the southern wall of 
the city, was originally built in the open fields, having 
been erected in 879 by the usurper Ahmed ebn e' Too- 
loon. The Fatemites ruled at Cairo for 200 years ; 



EASTERN HOTELS. 



17 



the Aioobite Sultans followed, of whom the first mon- 
arch was the famous Salah-e'deen, commonly known 
as Saladin, who was probably the original to the 
numerous Saracens' Heads that are painted on the 
sign-boards of village inns in England. The Aioobites 
held the sovereignty about 80 years, when the Mem- 
looks succeeded to a throne, which they held inde- 
pendently until the conquest of Egypt by the Turks in 
1517. After that they retained a dependent authority 
until, in 1811, Mohammed Ali, by a startling exercise 
of power, completed their overthrow. This act of the 
Pacha has been severely censured, and doubtless it 
deserves reproach ; but when we contemplate how great 
an obstacle the Memlooks had been to the consolida- 
tion of Mohammed Ali's power, and how great oppo- 
sition they ever evinced to the mental and moral 
improvement of Egypt, we are led to temper our cen- 
sure by the excuses which the knowledge of these facts 
brings forward. 

The Hotel d'Orient is one of the three European 
hotels that face the Ezbekiyeh. It has many Frank 
comforts, and thus renders more easy the traveller's 
transition from European system to the desultory life 
of the East. The waiters are a mingling of Italian, 
Maltese, and Egyptian, and are summoned by the primi- 
tive method of clapping the hands, bells not having 
been introduced as yet into Saladin's capital. We 
actually found a Yankee steward at this hotel, as much 
at home among the tarbouches, as if he had never 
known the land of wooden nutmegs. He had come 
from Marblehead, and, in direct opposition to the tide 
of emigration, had struck Eastward for a new home. 
Who knows but this may be the germ of Annexation ! — 
the first dawning of the established series of three stages 
for the extension of empire, unknown to Alexander, 



18 



ORIENTAL GARMENTS. 



but left to the invention of a later dav — viz : Coloniza- 
tion — Declaration of Independence — Annexation ! 

The population of Cairo (as before said) is 200,000, 
being about one-tenth of that of all Egypt. Of this, 
probably 160,000 are Mohammedans, 8,000 Copts, 
2,500 Jews, and the rest strangers from the different 
parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The prevailing 
costume is the turban and flowing robes, though among 
the higher classes (who are mostly Turks) the Euro- 
pean dress is introduced in some cases. However 
picturesque may be the Oriental garments, they cer- 
tainly impede the active movements of the body, and 
conduce to that luxurious lounging habit so character- 
istic of the East. A man in petticoats is decidedly 
more ornamental than useful, and seems out of place 
unless reclining in the bazaar, or calmly smoking his 
shebook in a dahabiyeh. 

When " the schoolmaster is abroad," he should by 
all means visit Cairo. He would learn principles of 
teaching which he had never dreamed of in his philos- 
ophy. Forty or fifty boys are collected in a bare-walled 
room, and there seated on the floor with their legs bent 
beneath them; a diminutive desk or frame of palm- 
wood is put before each, on which the book (generally 
the Koran) is placed, and before these the pupils roll 
themselves backward and forward, accompanying the 
motion with a loud rehearsal of their task. This 
method is supposed to give the matter readier access 
to the brain. The stillness of a school-room cannot, 
therefore, be proverbial among the Cairenes. 

We happened to arrive in Cairo just after the return 
of the great caravan of pilgrims from Mecca, and, con- 
sequently, there was unusual stir in the city. That 
evening the trees of the Ezbekiyeh were hung with 
lamps, and the broader avenues were lined with tents 



HOWLING DERVISHES. 19 

and booths, in which the howling dervishes performed 
their worship. Of course, the park was alive with 
spectators of every age, colour, sex, and nation. In each 
tent a band of dervishes were conducting their noisy 
ceremony. Their dress was not uniform, though their 
action seemed to be the result of drilling. Their per- 
formances commence by reading in chorus the Koran, 
with an intonation reminding one of the priestly chant- 
ing in the Romanist churches of Europe, and they then 
rise, and, standing either in a row or circle, begin a 
succession of low and dignified bows, calling out in 
tones of singular hoarseness the name of " Allah,'' 
" Allah." Their bowing and enunciation become gra- 
dually faster, until an undefined sound, more like the 
bellowing of a bull than any other known noise, is all 
that is heard, while their bodies vibrate with the rapid- 
ity and apparently mechanical action of a steam-engine. 
This they continue sometimes for an hour, when, ex- 
hausted, they seat themselves, and find refreshment in 
pipes and coffee. Often they continue their wild 
worship till they fall, foaming in frenzy, to the ground. 
This was certainly a startling spectacle with which to 
begin our observations of the Moslem faith, but the 
scene that awaited us on the morrow far surpassed this, 
both in novelty and fanaticism. The Ezbekiyeh was 
fairly jammed with human beings, in all the gay-colored 
drapery of the East. The Doseh was about to take 
place. The birth of the Prophet was to be commemo- 
rated by a ceremony as remarkable as any in the annals 
of superstition. The immense crowd moved with im- 
patience as the sun shone hotly upon them. After a 
long delay, there was a parting of the mass, and a 
hundred half-naked dervishes came rushing to a point 
near our station, where they cast themselves upon the 
ground, with the incessant cry of " Allah." A quasi 



20 



THE DOSEH. 



police force arranged their prostrate figures in due 
order, packing them as closely as was possible, with 
their faces downward and their feet extended. This 
done, the Sheikh of the Saadiyeh dervishes, mounted 
on a strong horse, rode over the living pavement, an 
escort of footmen attending. Immediately after his 
passage, the devotees rose shrieking, whether in pain 
or religious frenzy we could not tell. We were told 
that two of those ridden over died that day, but Mus- 
sulmans declare that no injury ensues, owing to a 
miraculous restraining power possessed by the Sheikh. 
While waiting for the performance of this ceremony, 
naked wrestlers with oiled bodies had gone through 
their disgusting exercises before us, and after the cere- 
mony, some of the dervishes tore living vipers with their 
teeth — a customary accompaniment to this day's pro- 
gramme. 

The origin of this curious and revolting ceremony I 
know not, though the first human cause was, doubtless, 
the natural desire to expiate sin by one's own suffering 
■ — the great self-righteous principle, which, springing 
from pride and ignorance, has always resisted the plain 
but humbling truths of the Gospel, and appears in every 
phase of false religion. No doubt, a blind attachment 
to custom influences some of these dervishes in the 
Doseh, and a desire of praise may prove incentive to 
others, but I imagine that a sense of personal expiation 
for sin and a holiness thus purchased, is with many 
still the impelling motive to this absurd and debasing 
action. 



Cairn rait it* Mnixnua. 

CAmO-HELIOPOLIS-OLD CAIRO-PYEAMIDS. 

Ophthalmia prevails in Egypt to a frightful extent, 
and, like the Goitre in Switzerland, it is attributed by 
different theorists to widely different causes. Some 
consider it the result of the exhalations after the over- 
flow of the Nile — others, as proceeding from the dust 
that is raised by the slightest wind in a land where rain 
is so seldom known. A third theory finds its cause in 
checked perspiration. A fourth in the reflection of the 
sunlight by the sand. Of these hypotheses the first has 
the greatest probability. 

A source of constant annoyance to a sensitive tra- 
veller is the abundance of vermin which is the inevitable 
portion that falls to his lot throughout the East. The 
third and fourth plagues of Egypt have left their traces, 
and no portion of the land can claim exemption, as of 
old. It is only to travellers, however, that the vermin 
prove vexatious, the natives apparently regarding as a 
luxury that which is to many the direst discomfort. It 
may be said of the Egyptian, equally with the Neapo- 
litan lazzarone, that the banishment of vermin from his 
person and dress would cast him into unspeakable 
sorrow, as cutting off one of his principal sources of 
3 



22 



THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT. 



amusement and occupation. Were it not that with 
Mussulmans washing is a religious duty, the Egyptians 
would be intolerably filthy, as we may certainly know 
from their personal uncleanliness in spite of the pre- 
scribed lavations. The Egyptians deserve credit, 
however, for their good-heartedness, a strong set-off 
to their faults. We ever experienced kindness at their 
hands, and were witnesses of refined courtesies among 
them, that might have caused some of the most enlight- 
ened nations of the earth a blush for their own short- 
comings. Their demands for " backsheesh" must not 
be adduced as objections to this character. How can 
a people, bowed to the dust by tyrannical oppression, 
and living abjectly on the crumbs that fall from their 
tyrants' tables, avoid seeking support from the strangers 
that pass among them, whose imagined wealth is to 
them the consolation of every wo? If they are a 
begging people, it is because they are an oppressed 
people ; and God forbid that we should blame those for 
their importunity whom man has driven to the last 
necessity. It was on our first Sunday in Cairo, that 
we walked to the little chapel of Mr. Lieder, the worthy 
representative of the Church Missionary Society of 
England. A door-way, of the size and appearance of 
a front-door to a dwelling-house, leads from the Ezbe- 
kiyeh to the Coptic quarter, in which the chapel is 
situated. We then pass through streets about six feet 
in width, resembling dark entries in a large house, 
where the approach of a camel or donkey drives the 
pedestrian to the wall After a little labyrinthine 
exercise, we entered the little court, through which we 
passed to the chapel, a pleasant room, neatly and com- 
fortably fitted up with pulpit, desk, chancel, and pews. 
The unpainted window-sashes and little panes reminded 
of Switzerland. About thirty-five persons were present, 



SABBATH IN CAIRO. 



23 



chiefly travellers and English residents, to whom Mr. 
Lieder delivered an admirable practical discourse on the 
great themes of repentance and faith. During the ser- 
vices, the sweetest singing-birds were sporting about the 
windows and mingling their songs with the voice of God's 
ambassador. It was strangely appropriate ; the Gospel 
was delivered in a land of Moslems ; the birds were 
those of February. 

That afternoon we saw old Mohammed Ali pass in 
his European carriage. His reason was well nigh gone, 
and little sensation was excited by his presence ; the 
ass can kick the dead lion. He reclined in one corner 
of the vehicle, and paid no attention to things about 
him. His fine white beard and well-formed features 
comported well with the dignity of his robes and tur- 
ban. We afterwards saw him often in his drives, in 
the same posture, and with the same indifferent expres- 
sion. Abbas Pacha was then in Constantinople, receiv- 
ing the ratification of his succession at the hands of 
the Sultan. 

Cairo possesses no antiquities itself, except the frag- 
ments of ancient buildings which have been transferred 
to modern erections ; but its neighbourhood is unparal- 
leled for interest in the antiquary's eye. It was a bright 
morning (as every morning is in Egypt) that we drove 
to the site of Heliopolis in a European barouche. We 
rode for about two hours N. E. of the city, over the 
fertile plain, and past two or three villages of the same 
stamp as those before seen. A wheeled vehicle not 
being able to make further progress, by reason of 
ditches and dykes, we alighted, and, calling a shepherd 
to guide us, reached a slight sand-hill, whence we saw 
the lone obelisk rising behind some houses and trees, 
in a situation far different from what I had anticipated. 
I had imagined it rising solitary in the midst of a sandy 



24 



HELIOPOLIS, 



plain, but on the contrary it stands in a garden, and 
almost within the village of Matariyeh, though these 
localities, 'tis true, are not far removed from the actual 
desert, a distance of a stone's throw only intervening. 
Heliopolis, known in Scripture as On, Beth-Shemesh 
and Aven, is first heard of as the residence of the priest 
Potipherah, whose daughter was married to Joseph. 
According to Berosus, this was the city of Moses, and 
here he became learned in all the wisdom of the Egyp- 
tians. Herodotus also declares that the Heliopolites 
were reckoned the wisest of the Egyptians. Jeremiah 
denounces this city and prophesies its injury by Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and Ezekiel foretells the destruction of its 
young warriors by the hand of the same conqueror. 
Sixty years after, Cambyses, the furious successor of 
Cyrus, made havoc with its edifices. About a century 
after this conquest, Herodotus, Plato, and Eudoxus, 
successively visited Heliopolis, and attended the in- 
structions of the priests of the college established there. 
Strabo^ however, relates that when he visited Heliopo- 
lis, a few years before Christ, it was a mass of splendid 
ruins, among which were shown the houses of Eudoxus 
and Plato. The rise of Alexandria had probably 
undermined the prosperity of Heliopolis, and gradually 
reduced it to the size of a village. Its original name 
was probably On ; in hieroglyphics it is called Phre 
(the Sun), hence the Hebrew name Beth-Shemesh 
(house of the Sun), and the Greek Heliopolis, (city 
of the Sun), the city having been dedicated to the 
Sun, to which a magnificent temple had been erected.* 
The name of Aven, in Ezekiel, is probably a play upon 
the name On, which words in Hebrew are very similar, 

* It is said that a fountain, now called " Ain Shems" (fountain of the Sun) pre- 
serves the old name, and that the Greek title Heliopolis is still seen in a village 
called " Kelioub." But these I did not see. 



OBELISK OF OX. 



25 



the prophet taking advantage of the name of the city to 
give it the similar and appropriate title of Aven (iniqui- 
ty). The Hebrew writing for On and Aven is P and "P*, 
there being but the difference of one letter (wav) inserted. 

To return to the obelisk, now the sole representative 
of the Egyptian Athens, unless we regard the mounds 
which extend for half-a-mile as remnants of the fallen 
city. This obelisk is at present 60 feet in height, 
being much covered at the base by the deposit of allu- 
vium. It is a noble shaft of Syenite granite, and shows 
marks of a former metallic covering on its apex. It? 
hieroglyphics are large and comparatively few. They 
declare its erection by Osirtasen the 1st, whose reign 
is by some placed contemporary with Joseph, by others 
300 years previous. It would be an interesting work 
to explore the alluvial deposit in the neighbourhood, 
and thereby expose other remnants of the splendid 
ruins that greeted Strabo's eyes. It is not my design 
to record the method by which the hieroglyphics of 
Egypt have yielded a chronicle of ancient history, which 
was a sealed book for ages, nor to explain the mystic 
writing in any way ; but I take the interpretations of 
Champollion and his successors (as I would the transla- 
tions of a Greek manuscript,) as incontrovertibly cor- 
rect, though liable in a few cases to the mistakes that 
attach to all translations. At Heliopolis is shown a 
sycamore, under which Joseph and Mary reposed after 
the flight into Egypt. This and the house of the Vir- 
gin at Old Cairo may stand as fair samples of the value 
of monkish tradition. 

The third day of our sojourn at Cairo was devoted 
to the Pyramids. A party of twenty, mounted on 
sprightly donkeys, and attended by a legion of donkey- 
boys, in full pursuit, we galloped through the narrow 
streets, putting the worthy inhabitants to the wall. 



26 



OLD CAIRO. 



turning abrupt corners innumerable, till, reaching the 
gate and emerging from the city, we found ourselves 
on a pretty shaded road. Four miles of riding brought 
us to Old Cairo, called by the Arabs Musr el Atikeh, 
or the Old Musr, to distinguish it from Musr el Kahira, 
or the victorious Musr, the Arabian title of Grand 
Cairo. This Old Cairo is a shabby place, of probably 
3,000 souls, and was (after the conquest of Egypt by 
the Saracens, and previous to the foundation of the 
present capital) the chief city and seat of government 
of the Caliphs. It was built on the site of the Egyp- 
tian Babylon. Opposite Old Cairo is the long island 
of Roda, on which are the pretty villas of several 
grandees, and at the end of which is the famous Nilo- 
meter. Descending the steep mud banks, we embark- 
ed in one of the myriad of dirty boats that are con- 
stantly waiting for customers, while our donkeys found 
passage in another, the usual accompaniment of an 
Egyptian thoroughfare — ceaseless vociferations — being 
not wanting. On the western shore we landed at 
Ghizeh, a miserable village, that has the honour, how- 
ever, of giving the common name to the neighbouring 
Pyramids. Leaving this as soon as possible, we hurried 
over the level plain that lay, green with the luxuriant 
growth of the Nile valley, between us and the objects 
of our excursion. Here and there we galloped through 
a squalid village, slightly raised above the plain to 
escape the inundation, and from which we were assail- 
ed by the familiar cry of " Backsheesh, backsheesh, ya 
hawagee " (Money, money, your honor). The mighty 
monuments of the Pharaohs grew more majestic as we 
approached. We arrived at the limit of Nile-giving 
fertility, passed the frontier-village, and entered the 
sandy district, the outskirts of the great Lybian desert. 
Just beyond this limit rises the rocky elevation on 



THE PYRAMIDS. 



27 



which the Pyramids are built, a height of probably fifty 
feet. Ascending this, we were at the foot of the Great 
Pyramid. The spirit cannot be human that can stand 
here for the first time and look up these huge sides and 
along that extended surface of immense hewn stones, 
and feel no astonishment and awe. The thought of its 
human origin enhances this sensation ; we look upon a 
mountain, but the habit of associating such a work 
with the omnipotent hand of Deity has the effect of 
dulling our sensibilities in its contemplation — but gaze 
at the Great Pyramid, the work of man, with which all 
else that he has wrought is dust and ashes, and we are 
overpowered ; the idea of mystery at once connects 
itself with our thoughts. It is certainly more startling 
to the mind to witness a gigantic result from a diminu- 
tive cause, than to behold the harmonious proportion of 
cause and effect, of whatever mutual magnitude the 
latter may be in comparison. 

The Pyramids, on a near approach, lose the smooth 
appearance which they possess when seen at a distance. 
It then becomes strikingly evident that generation after 
generation have quarried from them, as from mountains 
of stone, to erect the edifices of successive cities that 
have risen in this neighbourhood. In this manner the 
smooth surfaces of the Pyramids have become indented 
like giant stairways, and the epithet of "ruins" is 
clearly suitable to these venerable relics of the earlier 
ages of man. The Pyramids stand in an imposing 
situation, on the brow of the low Lybian hills that form 
the western border of the Nile valley. Just beyond the 
green vale, they rise solemnly above the dreary sand, 
for they that were laid within them had left the beauty 
and joy of life for that which had by them been regard- 
ed as the sad wilderness of the invisible world. That 
they were built for tombs there can be no question. 



28 



THEIR ORIGIN. 



Their position in the grand cemetery of Memphis, their 
interior arrangement, and the voice of history, are suf- 
ficient testimony on this point. Herodotus, who visit- 
ed Egypt probably about B. C. 455, thus writes regard- 
ing the Pyramids (his information having been obtained 
from the Egyptian priests) : " Cheops, who succeeded 
Rhampsinitus, degenerated into the extremest pro- 
fligacy of conduct. He barred the avenues to every 
temple, and forbade the Egyptians to offer sacrifices ; 
he proceeded next to make them labour servilely for 
himself. Some he compelled to hew stones in the 
quarries of the Arabian mountains, and drag them to 
the banks of the Nile ; others were appointed to re- 
ceive them in vessels, and transport them to the so- 
called Lybian Mountain.* For this service a hundred 
thousand men were employed, who were relieved every 
three months. Ten years were consumed in the hard 
labour of forming the road through which these stones 
were to be drawn ; a work, in my estimation, of no less 
fatigue and difficulty than the pyramid itself. This 
causeway is five stadia in length, forty cubits wide, and 
its extreme height thirty-two cubits ; the whole is of 
polished marble, adorned with the figures of animals. 
Ten years, as I remarked, were exhausted in forming 
this causeway, not to mention the time employed in 
the vaults of the hill on which the Pyramids are erect- 
ed. These he intended as a place of burial for himself, 
and were in an island which he formed by introducing 
the waters of the Nile. The pyramid itself was a work 
of twenty years ; it is of a square form ; every front is 
eight plethra long and as many in height. The stones 
are very skilfully cemented, and none of them of less 
dimensions than thirty feet. The ascent of the pyramid 



* Wrongly translated by Beloe, " to a mountain of Lybia." 



ACCOUNT OF HERODOTUS. 



20 



was regularly graduated by what some call steps and 
others altars. Having finished the first flight, they 
elevated the stones to the second by the aid of machines 
constructed of short pieces of wood ; from the second, 
by a similar engine, they were raised to the third, and 
so on to the summit. Thus there were as many 
machines as there were regular divisions in the ascent 
of the pyramid, though, in fact, there might only be 
one, which, being easily manageable, might be removed 
from one range of buildings to another, as often as 
occasion made it necessary; both modes have been 
told me, and I know not which best deserves credit. 
The summit of the pyramid was first of all finished : 
descending thence, they regularly completed the whole. 
On the outside were inscribed, in Egyptian characters, 
the various sums of money expended in the progress 
of the work, for the radishes, onions, and garlic con- 
sumed by the artificers, This, I well remember, my 
interpreter informed me, amounted to no less a sum 
than 1,600 talents. If this be true, how much more 
must it have necessarily cost for iron-tools, food, and 
clothes for the workmen, particularly when we con- 
sider the length of time they were employed in the 
building itself, adding what was spent in the hewing 
and conveyance of the stones, and the construction of 
the subterraneous apartments. * * * According to 
the Egyptians, this Cheops reigned fifty years. His 
brother Cephren succeeded to the throne, and adopt- 
ed a similar conduct. He also built a pyramid, but 
this was less than his brother's, for I measured them 
both ; it has no subterranean chambers, nor any 
channel for the admission of the Nile, which in the 
other surrounds an island, where the body of Cheops is 
said to be deposited. This Cephren reigned fifty-six 
years ; the pyramid he built stands on the same hill 



30 



ITS CREDIBILITY. 



with that erected by his brother ; the hill itself is near 
one hundred feet high. * * * Mycernuis, the son of 
Cheops, succeeded Cephren. * * * This prince 
also built a pyramid, but it was not by twenty feet so 
large as his father's. It was a regular square, on every 
side 300 feet, and, as far as the middle, of Ethiopian 
stone." 

Such is the account of Herodotus, and from its 
minuteness, we must grant it a considerable degree of 
credibility. This portion of history certainly belonged 
to times long anterior to the Grecian writers, yet it is 
probable that something like a true account had been 
preserved by the priests, who were the literary caste. 
In the dimensions of the Pyramids, Herodotus widely 
errs in one instance, as the following will show : — * 



The proximate correctness of the second amount in- 
duces us to believe that the former is an insertion in 
the text. The words thus inserted would be the two 
small ones S+og Uov. 

His other declaration, that the base of the third 
pyramid was 300 feet in length, is near enough as a 
rough estimate to the real base, which is 354 feet. 
Strabo, the geographer, who flourished at the time of 
our Saviour's birth, thus writes : — 

" To one going forty stadia from Memphis, there is 
a certain brow of a hill, on which are many pyramids, 
royal sepulchres ; three are remarkable, and two of 
them are reckoned among the seven wonders of the 
world. They are straight [or, a stadium] in their ele- 



Fortner perpendicular height 
of Great Pyramid, as known by 
mathematical calculation, given 
by Col. Howard Vyse, 480.9 feet; 
length of base, 764. 



The same, as given by Hero- 
dotus, S plethra, i.e., 800 feet; 
length of base, S00 feet. 



* Beloe wrongly translates " 300 feet high." 



ACCOUNTS OF ST11ABO AND DIODOPwUS. 



31 



vation ; square in shape, having a height somewhat 
greater than each side, and the one is somewhat 
greater than the other. There is a stone, capable of 
removal, about midway between the top and base, on 
the sides, and when removed a tortuous passage leads 
to the tomb. These are near to one another, on the 
same level ; but farther off, on a greater elevation of 
the hill, is the third, much smaller than the two, but of 
far more expensive workmanship ; for, from the foun- 
dation almost to the centre, it is built of black stone, 
which they bring from the mountains of Ethiopia, and 
from which they make mortars. This stone being 
hard and difficult to work, rendered the building ex- 
tremely expensive. * * * I must not omit, one of the 
wonderful sights at the Pyramids. There are masses 
of stone lying before them, and among these are found 
fragments, both in shape and size like lentils. * * * 
These are said to be the petrified remnants of the 
workmen's provisions ; nor is it improbable." 

Diodorus Siculus, who lived at the same period as 
Strabo, thus speaks regarding the Pyramids : — " Chem- 
bis (or Chemmis) a Memphite, who reigned fifty years, 
built the largest of the three pyramids, which are 
reckoned among the seven wonders of the world. They 
stand on the Lybian side (of the Nile), distant from 
Memphis 120 stadia, and 45 from the river. They 
strike every beholder with wonder, both from their 
size and the skill of their workmanship ; for every side 
of the largest, at the base, is seven plethra in length 
and more than six in height. Decreasing in size to- 
wards the summit, it there measures six cubits (nine 
feet.) The whole is of solid stone, made with prodi- 
gious labour, and in the most durable manner, having 
lasted to our time, a period not less than 1,000 years, 
or, as some say, upwards of 3,400, the stones still pre- 



82 



GENERAL DEDUCTIONS. 



serving their original position, and the whole structure 
being uninjured. * * * It is reported that 360,000 
men were employed in this work, and the time occupied 
in finishing the whole was scarcely less than twenty 
years. 

" On the death of this king, his brother Cephren suc- 
ceeded to the throne, and reigned fifty-six years. * * 
Wishing to emulate his predecessor, he built the 
second pyramid, similar to the other in its style of 
building, but far inferior in size, each face being only 
one stade in length at its base. * * * * 

" After them came Mycernius, or, as some call it, 
Mechernius, the son of the founder of the Great Py- 
ramid. He built the third, but died previous to its 
completion. Each side was made three plethra long at 
the base, with (a casing of) black stone, similar to that 
called Thebarc, as far as the fifteenth tier, the rest 
being completed with stone of the same quality as the 
other pyramids." 

From these authors, we gather that the three kings, 
Cheops or Chembis, Cephren, and Mycerinus, erected 
the three main pyramids of Ghireh, and that the period 
of their reigns was uncertain 1,800 years ago. The dif- 
ference in recorded sizes of the pyramids clearly shows 
that these authors of ancient days are not to be trusted 
for precision in their accounts. Additional testimony 
of the most important nature is had in the hierogly- 
phics discovered by Col. Vyse within the Great Pyra- 
mid. These hieroglyphics contained the king's name 
— Cheops. Within the third pyramid, moreover, was 
found, by the same indefatigable discoverer, a sarco- 
phagus, a wooden coffin, which bore the name of My- 
cernuis. As to the date of the reign of Cheops, Wil- 
kinson makes it 2,123 B.C., while others prefer a still 
more ancient date, harmonizing their opinion with the 



MOSLEM DESTRUCTIVES ESS. 



33 



Bible accounts by refusing Archbishop Usher's calcu- 
lations, and considering the numbers of the Septuagint 
to be more correct than the Hebrew, which is supposed 
to have been altered. It is probable, that in the course 
of future investigations, more light will be thrown on 
this interesting subject. From the remark of Diodorus, 
that the Pyramids were uninjured in his day, we are led 
to accuse the Caliphs as plunderers of these monu- 
ments. To Moslem power, we are led to attribute the 
conflagration of the Alexandrine library ; to the same 
power the ruin of the Pyramids ; and in Mohammed 
Ali the spirit of destruction has continued its abomi- 
nations in the annihilation of many of the most im- 
portant relics of antiquity. 

To return to our visit. We had gathered followers 
to our party as we advanced, as a rolling ball accumu- 
lates the snow, so that, when we alighted from our 
donkeys at the foot of the Pyramid, a hundred Arabs 
were loudly recommending themselves to our consider- 
ation as guides to the summit or interior. Some had 
handfulls of antiquities, such as stone scarabaei, mum- 
my relics, and brazen ornaments, to tempt purchasers ; 
and others were satisfied with importunately beseech- 
ing us for " backsheesh." Leaving the ladies below 
with the servants, I mounted the huge sides under an 
escort of two stalworth Arabs, one of whom, however, 
proved a greater hindrance than help. The other, a 
good-natured black, who rejoiced in the high-sounding 
name of Abdallah, was serviceable enough ; though it 
is sufficiently easy for an active man to mount without 
help. The steps (formed by the removal of the casing) 
are from two to four feet in height, and broad enough to 
be perfectly safe. About half-way to the summit is a 
cavity, whence stone has been removed ; in this the 
assisting Arabs are wont to stop with the traveller 



34 



ASCENT OF THE PYRAMIDS. 



and demand pay before proceeding further ; but a de- 
termined look is enough to frighten these bravos into 
their duty. From the summit the view is full of satis- 
faction. The flat valley of the Nile extends North 
and South, gay with every variety of green, in the 
midst of which flows the mighty river. Immediately 
beneath us, and extending to the Westward, are the 
dreary elevations of the Lybian desert, in which is the 
Mystic Shrine of Jupiter Amnion ;* to the South 
other pyramids lift their summits, from the giant neigh- 
bour tomb of Cephren to the distant monuments of 
Dashoor. Beyond the Nile valley are the Mukattem 
hills and the Arabian desert. There is instruction in 
standing upon the sepulchre of a king, and gazing thence 
upon the country of his former sway. It is not so suit- 
able a spot as the summit of an exceeding high moun- 
tain^ whence to tempt the ambition of a man. The 
platform upon the Great Pyramid is about thirty feet 
square, much of its height having been removed by the 
spoiler. On descending, we lit our torches and entered 
the colossal tomb. Bending double, we passed along the 
various galleries, in one place winding through a forced 
passage, until, nearly suffocated and thoroughly dusted, 
we arrived at the centre chamber. This room is sur- 
prisingly small when we consider the immense size of 
the edifice. The dimensions of the chamber are — 
height 19} feet, length 34 feet, and width 17i feet. 
The walls and roof of the room are not of the stone 
of which the rest of the pyramid is built, but of red- 
dish granite ; and at one end is an empty sarcophagus 
of the same kind of granite, which, when struck, gives 
a clear, ringing sound/ Beneath this chamber is an- 

* See St. John's adventures in the Lybian desert, for an interesting account of 
the Oasis of Ammon. 
| Matthew, iv. 8. 



INTERIOR. 



35 



other, of smaller dimensions, with a pointed roof, to 
which access is gained by a branch passage; and 
above the main room are five other small apartments, 
only 3^ feet in height, one situated above the other, 
and the uppermost having a pointed roof. Four of 
these last were discovered by Col. Yyse. Besides 
these, there is a chamber 105 feet below the surface 
of the ground, to which leads a direct continuation of 
the first passage entered from the opening. In each 
of the second and third pyramids a single chamber 
was alone found. These interiors had all been opened 
by the Arab caliphs, and reclosed. Who reopened 
the Great Pyramid I am not aware, but to Belzoni and 
Col. Vyse are we indebted for our present access into 
the chambers of the second and third. It was a 
strange scene for us within that mass of stone : a 
dozen dark Bedawin and half as many pale-faced 
strangers waking the echoes of that dismal hall in the 
uncertain light of our torches. A few minutes of con- 
templation, and we retreated through the close pas- 
sages, and heartily enjoyed the recovery of sunlight 
and fresh air. Our appetites were soon in good con- 
dition, and the servants busily prepared our meal at 
the shady side of the Pyramid. The Arabs, who are 
generally close friends, had no idea of deserting us 
now, and we sat down to eat, with a hundred hungry 
mouths and wistful eyes surrounding. By their help 
we were soon rid of any eatables that might have 
troubled us on our return to Cairo. After our lun- 
cheon, we walked to the Sphynx, about 1,000 feet S. E. 
of the Great Pyramid. Its proximity to its lofty neigh- 
bours injures its effect, as its height is not 70 feet. Still, 
notwithstanding this disadvantage, and the fact that it 
is greatly covered by the sand, the Sphynx is a solemn 
thing to see. % Its human face gives it the commanding 



36 



TOMBS. 



interest of life, as it seems to look with a resigned 
sorrow on the tremendous changes that are ever oc- 
curring before it. The figure is cut out of the solid 
rock, excepting a part of the back, which is cased with 
stone where the rock was defective, and the forelegs, 
which excavation has shown to be of hewn stone. In 
front of its paws is a pavement, on which they lie. 
Between the paws is an altar. Three tablets were also 
discovered there, and a crouched lion looking towards 
the Sphynx. But all these were concealed by the ac- 
cumulated sand at the time of our visit. On one of 
the tablets was found the name of Thothmes IV., who 
probably reigned shortly after the Exodus of the Chil- 
dren of Israel. By him it is likely this monument was 
formed, and in it he has left an almost undying portrait 
of himself to posterity, for we may believe the face to 
be a likeness of the monarch. The Sphynx is not 
female, as is commonly supposed, and therefore its sex 
can be no objection to its character as a portrait of 
Thothmes. The face is much mutilated, the nose 
being entirely gone, but its power over the mind re- 
mains in spite of its many injuries. The whole region 
of the Pyramids is filled with pits, excavations, and 
small structures, all which have doubtless been places 
of sepulture or mortuary temples, where services con- 
nected with the dead were performed. One of the 
most interesting of these tombs is that which bears 
the name of Colonel Campbell. It is a large square 
pit cut in the rock to a depth of 53i feet. A short 
distance from the mouth of this pit is a trench cut in 
the rock to a depth of 73 feet, and forming a square 
about the pit, at the bottom of which I saw a stone 
sarcophagus. Behind the second pyramid, a series of 
chambers are hewn out of the rock, which has been 
left as a wall by the removal of a large mass to allow 



SULEIMAN PACHA. 



:j7 



space for the base of the pyramid. One of these 
chambers has its rocky roof cut in imitation of palm 
trunks — a curious fact, and one which throws light on 
the construction of houses in the days of the Pharaohs. 
The Egyptians use palm trunks in the same manner to 
this day. 

There are twenty-five pyramids in the vicinity of 
the ancient Memphis, only six of which, however, are 
of immense size ; though, were they away, the others 
would rank high among the greater buildings of the 
world. Besides these, there are eight others in Egypt, 
and one hundred and thirty-nine in Dongola and Sen- 
naar. Thus, altogether, we have one hundred and 
seventy-two pyramids in the valley of the Nile. After 
a day's delightful employment at these hoary remains, 
we disentangled ourselves from our attached Bedawin 
friends, and rode back to Cairo over the fertile plain. 
There are no carriage roads, no fences, no hedges, no 
walls — so that our ride had the appearance of trespass 
among the standing grain of the Egyptians. On our 
homeward route, we met on the outskirts of the city, 
riding in his barouche, Suleiman Pacha, the formerly 
French Colonel Seve, but now the Moslem grandee. 
Had we not been taught in our nurseries the history 
of an old woman who kissed a cow, and the moral 
axiom founded thereon, we should wonder at the per- 
verted taste of this Gallic colonel. 



4 



Cairn attfr its € tnrtrntisL 



•STREETS— MOSQUES— CITADEL— PALACES— SHOOBRA— PETRIFIED 
FOREST— PREPARATIONS TO LEAVE. 



The streets and bazaars of Cairo are ceaseless 
sources of amusement to the traveller. The thorough- 
fares, narrow, crooked, and unpaved, keep one's curi- 
osity constantly in exercise. From their dimensions 
and serpentine character, the view is ever limited, and 
the walker or rider is thus continually changing the 
scene, and consequently attracted by new objects of 
interest ; and, from experience in Cairo, one is led to 
conclude that it is far less tiresome to walk in the 
narrow streets than in the broad avenues of a city, 
unless a large changing crowd obviate the objection, 
by furnishing new feasts to the eye. Though I cannot 
charge this motive to the Saracen Caliphs in forming 
the ways of Grand Cairo, I have no doubt the pleasure 
of enjoying this philosophical fact has been the property 
of their subjects without their knowledge. The strait- 
ness of the streets also renders them cool, by exclud- 
ing the rays of the sun ; but it is probable the air is 
rendered more impure, and disease is thereby generated 
or increased with greater facility. As you pass along 
these lanes, you are particularly struck with the odour 
of the camel manure, which is used as fuel throughout 



STREETS AND BAZAARS. 



39 



Egypt, by reason of the scarcity and great value of 
wood. As the streets are unpaved, the foot falls almost 
noiselessly to the ground, which, in a populous city, has 
a remarkably strange effect. This is heightened by 
the absence of wheeled vehicles, which are only seen 
in a few comparatively large and modern streets. Over 
these curious silent lanes project the latticed balconies, 
from which the inhabitant of the harem can look over 
unnoticed on those who pass below, and here and there 
an archway, which one would imagine an entrance to 
a dwelling, reveals another twilight avenue, down which 
the eye looks in vain to discover an outlet. 

The bazaars differ from the streets in little. Stretch 
awnings of palm-leaves or canvass over the way, from 
house-top to house-top, form little stalls or cells on 
either side, where venders may expose their goods, and 
you have a bazaar. The mellowed light falls upon the 
attractive wares and upon the sedate face of the Mos- 
lem salesman, who, reclined on his little divan, slowly 
emits clouds of smoke from his long shebook, exhibit- 
ing none of that anxiety to arrest the attention of 
customers, that so marks the money-making Anglo- 
Saxon. Such are the streets and bazaars of Cairo, 
and to say that there is not a wondrous fascination in 
them, is to give the lie to every Frank who ever made 
a sojourn in the Caliph's capital. 

There are 400 mosques within the walls, and here, 
as everywhere in the East, they form the chief archi- 
tectural ornaments. We visited four, the Aliwan, 
Hassan, Tooloon, and the great Mosque of Mohammed 
Ali. The Aliwan is one of the ordinary mosques of 
the city, and has no beauty to recommend it to the 
visiter. It is a barn-like building, with plenty of 
filagree work ornaments suitable for a barber's shop. 
The tomb of the Sultan Aliwan is an ugly chest in 



40 



MOSQUES. 



the centre. The mosque of the Sultan Hassan is one 
of the most prominent buildings in Cairo. It stands 
on the large square Roumeileh over against the citadel, 
and was built by the Memlook Sultan of Egypt, E' 
Naser Hassan, about A.D. 1355. The entrance is lofty 
and imposing. The interior is a square court, open to 
the sky, with a high recess on each side, the openings 
of which to the court are four lofty pointed arches. In 
the eastern recess is the sanctum, where the services 
are conducted, and in this are numerous lamps sus- 
pended either from the ceiling or from side brackets. 
Behind this recess is the tomb-room, in which, beneath 
a large dome, lies the body of the royal builder. In the 
centre of the paved court is a wooden canopy, sur- 
mounted by a turban-shaped dome, under which a 
fountain was furnishing the faithful with the means of 
ablution. 

The Mosque of Tooloon, before mentioned, is the 
oldest buifding in Cairo. It is in the Southern portion 
of the city, not far from the gate of the same name. It 
was built by the usurper Caliph Ahmed ebn e' Tooloon, 
the first independent Saracen sovereign of Egypt, in 
the year 879. It is a large quadrangle, 400 feet square, 
its centre open to the sky, surrounded by arcades on 
one side five arches deep. The material is plastered 
brick. In the centre of the court is a tank for ablution 
beneath a domed building ; and on the north-west side 
of the mosque is a lofty minaret, with stairs winding 
around its exterior. But what is of peculiar interest in 
this structure, the arches of the court are pointed, show- 
ing the use of the pointed arch among the Saracens 
more than three centuries before its introduction into 
England. The Mosque is in a decaying condition, 
exhibiting only some melancholy efforts at repair. Rub- 
bish is heaped everywhere, and we wandered about as 



CITADEL. 



4 1 



among the ruins of a deserted city. The Arabs say 
that Noah's ark rested on the site of this sanctuary ! 

But the prince of Mosques at Cairo is the grand 
building, still unfinished, that Mohammed Ali has 
erected on the summit of the citadel hill, overlooking 
city and cemetery, Boulac and Old Cairo, and the rich 
valley of the Nile. It rises like a pyramid of domes, 
and four central minarets of exquisite form and colour 
stand at the four corners of the superb edifice. It is 
built of the Egyptian alabaster, and has before it a 
domed arcade, like the court of the Kaaba at Mecca. 
Few buildings in the world possess the noble situation 
and commanding aspect of this Oriental St. Peters. 
The citadel of Cairo is an elevated rock at the south- 
eastern corner of the city, which was fortified by the 
celebrated Saladin, about the year 1172. The ascent 
is by a fine zig-zag. Within the extensive enclo- 
sure is the above-named mosque of Mohammed Ali, his 
palace, his harem-palace, the arsenal, the barracks, 
courts of justice, etc. The palace of the Pacha is of 
moderate merit, posessing many Oriental and European 
comforts, but few elegancies. The Beer Yoosef (or 
Joseph's Well) is a well in the citadel, which bears 
marks of antiquity, but which derives its title from 
Saladin (whose full name was Yoosef Saladin), who 
removed the sand by which it was filled and restored 
it to usefulness. It has two parts, one above the 
other, and a winding stairway leads to the bottom, a 
depth of about 250 feet. Mr. Joseph Pitts, whose re- 
marks have been before quoted, thus discourses con- 
cerning this well : — " There is a Well in the City of 
Cairo, of a very considerable depth, and about 20 Foot 
square ; there is a way to go down half-way, dry, round 
about it, to which Light is given from the top of the 
Well, through great Holes dug in the sides of it. If I 



r 



42 



BEER YOUSEF. 



mistake not, there are about three Hundred broad Steps 
down to the half-way, where there is a Stable in which 
Oxen are kept to draw the Water from the bottom ; and 
there is a great Cistern, into which the Water is emptied, 
from whence it is drawn by other Oxen, after the same 
manner, to the top. The Way of drawing it up is thus, 
viz. : They have a Wheel somewhat like a Mill-wheel, 
on which are two Ropes, and between these are fastened 
little earthen Pots to both of the Ropes, about four Foot 
distance one from the other. As the Ox goes round, 
so the Wheel goes round, and brings the Pots up full, 
which" empty themselves into the Cistern, and so go 
down empty with their mouths downward, to take in 
more Water. This Contrivance is for their Baths and 
watering of Gardens, &c. But it is not so much for 
the sake of this Machine that I mention this Well, as 
for another Reason, viz. : Because this is affirmed by 
them to be the Well in which Joseph was kept a Pris- 
oner by Potiphar"(\) The tradition which wise Mr. 
Pitts here mentions, doubtless arose from a miscon- 
ception of the origin of the title, Beer Yoosef, or 
Joseph's Well, the Saracen warrior being confounded 
with his namesake, who lived nearly 3,000 years before 
him. In one of the buildings of the citadel, the bas- 
tinado is administered, and in the same room are 
wooden cages in which the culprits are placed previous 
to punishment. In the corner of this room (which is a 
stone hall) sits on his divan the governor and his 
scribes, to whom the public appear to have the most 
perfectly democratic access. It was in this citadel 
that occurred the slaughter of the Memlooks by Mo- 
hammed Ali, and the spot is shown whence Emm Bey 
escaped by leaping his horse over the low wall and 
reaching the ground in safety. A wooden aqueduct 
was built by Saladin, to bring the water of the Nile to 



PALACE OF IBRAHIM PACHA. 



43 



the citadel, which, after the Turkish conquest, was re- 
placed by one of stone ; this now forms a conspicuous 
object on the road to Old Cairo, whence to the citadel 
its lofty arches stretch over the plain. 

The palace of Ibrahim Pacha, on the bank of the 
river opposite the north end of Roda, is probably the 
fairest specimen of a Cairene palace that a stranger 
can explore. It is a large building at the end of a 
broad avenue, and, with its projecting roof and sur- 
rounding gardens, wears the air of a comfortable 
country home. 

Its interior is a mingling of luxury and comfort, of 
elegance and vulgarity, that is often seen in the Ori- 
ental mansions. There were delightful divans, floors 
of polished marble, and cooling fountains, but by the 
side of these may be seen a common pine table or a 
clumsy fresco painting, esteemed as valuable from its 
Europeanity. And no books — the Orientals have no 
taste for the most civilizing of the arts. You may pass 
through all the houses of the East, and the only book 
you are likely to see is the manuscript Koran, unless 
some Pacha, who has been brought into contact with 
things European, may have introduced a few French 
school-books into some corner of his palace. Let 
writing, printing, and publishing be brought into the 
East, and its civilization will be, in fifty years, not a 
whit behind that of Europe. A part of the roof of 
Ibrahim's palace, as of most large houses in Cairo, 
lifts up like the lid of a figure-four trap, so that the 
breeze may enter and cool the apartments. An Abys- 
sinian slave acted as our cicerone, whose appearance 
in Frank dress of coat and pantaloons resembled that 
of a child in his grandfather's castoflfs. 

There are many palaces of the same general ap- 
pearance in and about Cairo, belonging to the grandees 



44 



PALACES. 



of the vice-royalty, in the neighbourhood of each of 
which is generally a twin palace, appropriated to the 
harem of the noble. Just outside of the Ezbekiyeh is 
the unfinished palace of Abbas Pacha, which has risen 
only a few feet above the surface cf the ground. Ac- 
cording to its design, it would cover as much ground 
as the Ezbekiyeh itself. It seems that the young 
Abbas was rather hasty in his plans, and suddenly 
received a notification from his grandfather that he 
had made quite sufficient progress in his new mansion, 
as he had other methods of spending money than in 
building fine houses. Whether the youth, now that he 
has obtained the Pachalik, will revive the work, is un- 
certain. He probably will agree with his grandfather, 
and find that he has sufficient outlets for his surplus 
capital in other directions. 

The passage of the Indian travellers always causes 
considerable bustle in the Frank quarter. Omnibuses 
and donkeys are in great demand, and the hotels 
swarm with human beings. They eat, perhaps, one or 
two meals, dash off to the Pyramids, sleep one night, 
and are away in the morning, either for Suez or Alex- 
andria, as the case may be, and again all is quiet and 
subject to the regular routine. However full of anxiety 
and hurry these transitory visits are to the visiters 
themselves, they are inexpressibly ludicrous to the more 
fortunate man, who sits quietly at his window or calm- 
ly paces the hall and court, and complacently blesses 
himself that he is not in a hurry. He is amused to see 
his fellow-beings striving to effect a just compromise 
between sight-seeing and sleeping, and wavering, as 
their curiosity or fatigue preponderates. And the re- 
sults are as various as the circumstances and charac- 
ters. One, with an oath, sends all Egypt to perdition, 
and rushes in search of a room that has less than six 



SHOOBRA. 



45 



beds ; another is off at a wink for the Pyramids ; a 
third cares only for the mosques ; a fourth prefers his 
dose of Egypt in the obelisk form, and gallops away to 
Heliopolis, while many a bloated epicure bawls out, 
" Something to eat, and hang the antiquities !" Ser- 
vants are constantly running over one another ; a hun- 
dred Mohammeds answer at the call of the name ; 
Hassans and Achmets, by the score, are mistaking and 
being mistaken ; baggage is carried to one hotel and 
its owner to another; while the sedate Mussulman 
gazes with a look of consternation, and ourselves feel 
a mischievous satisfaction in the disasters of the 
Transit. Several times, during our stay at Cairo, these 
apparitions came and went, like the shifting scenes of 
the drama, and the curtain falling never failed to find 
us convulsed with laughter. 

A pleasant excursion was that to Shoobra. Donkeys, 
as usual, and their attendant spirits. Four or five 
miles' ride over a lovely road, where the meeting 
acacias form a cool berceau, brought us to this country 
residence of the old Pacha. The house is large, but 
plain, the glory of Shoobra being its charming garden. 
Pretty avenues innumerable, with here and there a neat 
summer-house or sparkling fountain, groves of fragrant 
orange, and flowers of every sort delighted the senses. 
In the midst of the garden is the grand bath — a large 
quadrangle, surrounded by marble porticoes, and con- 
taining in the centre a superb white marble fountain of 
great size, about which are seats for musicians. In 
each corner of the portico is a lounging room, one of 
which is exquisitely furnished with large mirrors, velvet 
divans, and polished floors of inlaid wood. 

Another excursion comprised the petrified forest. 
Leaving Cairo by the famous Bab el Nusr, or Gate of 
Victory, at the north-east corner of the city, we imme- 



40 



PETRIFIED FOREST. 



diately find ourselves in the desert, among the strag- 
gling tombs of a Moslem cemetery, where some say 
the lamented Burckhardt lies. Passing the tombs of 
the Memlook sultans, we rode along a sand valley, on 
each side of which is a low, brown, rocky line of hills, 
in which were quarries and workmen engaged in ex- 
tracting the stone. In somewhat more than two hours 
we reached the curious forest. This name is, however, 
inapplicable. A series of sand-hills, spreading as far 
as the eye can reach, is covered with fragments of 
silicified wood, lying in every position, and varying in 
size from an inch to forty feet in length. The extent 
of this region of petrifactions is unknown, though as far 
as Jebel Aweibid, sixty miles east of Cairo on the way 
to Suez, I afterwards found specimens. The origin of 
this phenomenon is enveloped in mystery. Dr. Binst, 
of Bombay, thus writes regarding the matter : — " They 
(the fragments) are hard and sharp as flints ; they ring 
like cast-iron, strike fire with steel, and scratch glass. 
The sap-vessels and medullary rays, the very bark and 
marks of worms and insects, and even the spiral rays, 
remain entire ; the minutes fibres of the vegetable 
structure are discernible by the microscope. Here 
you have the carbon — the most indestructible matter 
known to us — entirely withdrawn, and substituted in its 
place a mass of silica — a matter insoluble by any ordi- 
nary agent, and at any common heat. Yet so tran- 
quilly has the exchange been accomplished, that not one 
atom has been disturbed ; the finest tissues remain en- 
tire, the most delicate arrangements uninterfered with. 
* * * No theory of their silicification, or their 
appearance where they are found, has ever been 
attempted. The late Dr. Malcolmson found fragments 
of the wood imbedded in the conglomerate which con- 
tains the Egyptian jaspers, and threw it out as possible 



PREPARATIONS FOR NILE VOYAGE. 



47 



that they and the gravel of the desert, consisting almost 
entirely of jaspers, might possibly be the result of 
abrasion or denudation. This threw the difficulty only 
one step farther back ; besides this, that the appear- 
ance of the forest is at variance with the theory. No 
agates or gravel appeared around. The trees seemed 
to be petrified as they lay ; they looked like a forest 
felled by mighty winds. A further mystery was this, 
they lay on the surface of bare drift sand and gravel, 
and reposing on limestone rocks of the most recent 
tertiary formation — the texture and colour of the im- 
bedded oyster-shells were as fresh and pure as if 
brought not six weeks from the sea." Of the sorts of 
trees which are here petrified, Wilkinson enumerates 
" thorn-bearing trees, and palms, and jointed stems, re- 
sembling bamboos, one of which is about fifteen feet 
long, broken at each of the knots." He also states 
that the same kind of petrifactions are found inland on 
the other side of the Nile, on the borders of Wady 
Fargh. On the way back to the city, I noticed a 
lizard of immense size, its body being as large as a 
kitten's. These lizards abound in the desert, many 
species of which we observed on our future journey to 
Palestine. 

For several days Boulac was regularly visited. We 
were in search of a good dahabiyeh or passenger-boat, 
with which to make the ascent of the Nile. All along 
the bank were ranged the various species of Nile craft, 
like cattle in the stalls, and we spent hours in exploring 
their cabins and examining their decks, making par- 
ticular inquiry concerning rats and other vermin, whose 
partiality for life on the water is well known in Egypt. 
After much hesitation, we selected a boat of comforta- 
ble appearance, with a smooth-faced Nubian rais or 
captain, and an apparently stalworth crew. We had 



48 



PREPARATIONS FOR NILE VOYAGE. 



already engaged an excellent dragoman, Ibrahim, whose 
service under Col. Vyse had furnished him with the 
distinguishing and distinguished name of his former 
employer, so that Ibrahim Vyse, like Saul among the 
children of Israel, stood in importance head and 
shoulders above the innumerable Ibrahims of Cairo. 
Ibrahim had also accompanied Dr. Robinson on his 
tour, and had afterwards served as dragoman to Mr. 
Bonar and the Scotch mission in their expedition to 
the Jews. With Ibrahim's experienced assistance, we 
soon obtained the requisites for housekeeping on the 
Nile, and were surrounded with a formidable array of 
crockery, ironware, and provision, for which the ba- 
zaars and the little store of Mr. Carlo Pini, an Italian 
resident, were thoroughly ransacked. Procuring, more- 
over, the indispensable services of a cook, a ponderous, 
good-natured, and intelligent fellow named Hassanein, 
we left the hotel on the evening of February 13th, and 
made a formal transfer of ourselves and apparatus to 
our dahabiyeh at Boulac, which dahabiyeh we forth- 
with denominated the " California," the news of that 
El Dorado having lately arrived at Cairo, with such a 
powerful influence as to induce even thence a contri- 
bution to the increasing population of the Sacramento 
valley* 



BOATS— COMMENCEMENT OF VOYAGE— SCENES ON THE RIVER— 
BENISOOSP-COPTIC CONVENT— MINYEH— WASHINGTON'S BIRTH- 
DAY— DAYR EL KOSSAYR. 

The principal description of passenger-boats upon 
the Nile, are the Dahabiyeh and the Cangia, differing 
from one another principally in size, the former being 
the larger and the more suitable for a party, as they 
can accommodate, tolerably, four passengers. The 
dahabiyeh varies probably from forty to eighty feet in 
length. It rises at the bow and stern, has but one 
deck, which, by being shut in towards the stern, forms 
one or two small cabins, and carries, generally, two 
masts. These masts have each one large latteen sail, 
which adds to the picturesque, and detracts from the 
useful. The crew sleep on the deck or crawl into the 
hold beneath, as the weather influences them, while 
the double cabin affords separate accommodation for 
the ladies and gentlemen of the travelling party. Our 
crew consisted of rais, pilot, and eight sailors, besides 
whom we had a cook for the crew, a pleasant-faced 
Nubian boy, who was taken sick on the trip and re- 
turned home to Nubia. There were five other boats 
about starting at the same time with us : one Ameri- 
can, one French, one English, and two Scotch. Each 



50 



STARTING. 



carried its national flag, and our rencounters upon the 
river were full of interest. Though we embarked on 
the evening of the 13th, it was not till the morning of 
the 15th that we left Shagget Mekkee, an island oppo- 
site Old Cairo, a strong south wind having previously 
rendered our progress impossible. In the meantime 
we had arranged our new home by constituting pan- 
tries, bookcases, wardrobes, &c, and having found our 
Hassanein a most finished knight of the spit, we were 
contented. In ascending the Nile, rowing is impracti- 
cable on account of the current : so that in a head 
wind, the crew drag the boat in canal fashion along 
the shores, which form a natural tow-path. In de- 
scending, dragging is never practised, as the current 
would drive the boat ashore, but rowing is then 
brought into use. The voyage on the Nile I give in 
journal form, as easier to be followed, though more 
desultory. 

Feb. 15th.— This morning we were under way at 
half-past seven, though the clumsy manoeuvres of our 
crew made our actual departure a quarter of an hour 
later. The wind continued contrary, and we made 
slow progress along the western shore by tracking. 
Several times during the day the 44 Cleopatra," one of 
the Scotch boats, passed us and was passed by us in 
turn. At sundown we were struck by a squall, which 
brought out the clumsiness of our swarthy crew to 
advantage. Soon after, we made fast to the western 
shore for the night, near the village of Massandra. 

Tracking is a tedious way of advancement. Six 
sailors shoulder the long rope of matting that is fast- 
ened between the masts and tug along the bank, while 
two remain on the boat to assist by poling against the 
muddy bottom. When the trackers arrive at a small 
cove, they hoist their loose garments on their shoul- 



MODE OF PROGRESS. 51 

ders, and wade across the little bay without materially 
damaging their costume by the water. At noon the 
crew halt a half hour for their dinner ; a like half hour 
is spent in the morning for breakfast. But breakfast 
and dinner seem to be alike : a large wooden bowl is 
filled with boiled lentils or soaked bread, and around 
this are gathered the whole company, gracefully squat- 
ted; their fingers are thrust into the sop, and convey 
the portions to their mouths, and after the dish is 
emptied, their mouths are again used as finger-bowls 
and napkins. We passed a conspicuous red mosque 
on the eastern shore ; it was Attar e' Nebbee, where 
is preserved for the edification of the faithful, the foot- 
step of the prophet. Not far from this was the village 
of E'Dayr, a Coptic convent, plain, but conspicuous. 
The religions seem to be neighbourly, if not harmoni- 
ous. The great object of interest to-day has been the 
Mukattem hills, porous with excavations, which extend 
along the Arabian shore about two miles from the 
river. Then is seen the mighty mount whence were 
born the pyramids. Those barren yellow heights of 
rock have been the source of a world's astonishment. 
Beneath these is the village of Toora, where is situated 
a large school and hospital of the Pacha, finely shaded 
and forming an attractive object from the river. The 
villages of the Nile, though generally built of mud or 
unbaked brick, are rendered picturesque by their palms, 
which ever hang gracefully over the abodes of the f el- 
laliin or peasantry. We have passed successively on 
the western shore, the pyramids of Ghizeh, Abooseer, 
Sakkarah and Dashoor, differing in size and form, but 
all telling the same story of power and decay. Before 
stopping for the night, we met a small steamer, look- 
ing strangely out of place, smoking impudently in the 
face of the pyramids. We felt a slight thrill of civili- 



52 



STEAMER. 



zation as she paddled past, and could not but think it 
was an improvement on the vessels of bulrushes. It 
was Ibrahim Pacha's steamer, which had been lent to 
a German prince of unpronounceable title, one of the 
1001 cousins of Prince Albert, wherewith to enjoy the 
Nile, by cunningly avoiding its beauties and antiquities 
in night travelling. 

Feb. 16. — Day before yesterday we sent a dr6*ll 
member of our crew to purchase a drum — an approved 
toy of an Egyptian sailor — but he did not return that 
day ; yesterday came and went without his appearing, 
but this morning the fellow stepped aboard, somewhat 
tired, having walked thirty miles in pursuit. My friend 
C— and myself made a land excursion, strolling 
among dirty villages and labouring fellahin, and reach- 
ing the river again far ahead of our craft. Here we 
saw the other American boat, which we hailed, and 
with which we exchanged salutations. 

We generally stop during the night, the wind failing 
and our Arabs needing rest ; but when the breeze con- 
tinues favourable, we make the best use of the night, 
while the crew alternate their rest by watches. We 
get off about half-past six in the morning, and stop at 
night about eight. Then the crew gather around a 
bivouac fire upon the bank, and look their best in the 
picturesque, while a solemn conversation goes on 
among them, now and then running over with a little 
Arabic or Nubian loud gutturality. At noon we came 
up with our American friends, but some specimens of 
awkward seamanship soon put us back. We passed 
the low pyramids of Lisht on our right, and near them 
a rocky elevation much resembling those curious struc- 
tures. Our Scotch friends ran into a boat-load of 
Albanians. One of the valiant Grecians instantly 
boarded the Scotchman, and commenced a summary 



BANKS OF THE NILE. 



53 



chastisement of the crew. He found himself rather un- 
equal to the task, while, to his confusion, the " Cleo- 
patra " made sail, and carried this doughty hero away 
from his companions. He was finally restored to their 
company, rather the worse for his chivalry. The 
Haram el Kedab, or False Pyramid, was seen on the 
western shore, of curious shape, and deriving its name 
from a former supposition that it was partly native 
rock. 




A lovely sunset completed the day, and we anchored 
near to the west bank, by the village of Rigga. As we 
advanced, we purchased fowls, eggs, milk, and the like, 
at the villages,— only such luxuries as oranges, sherbet, 
tobacco, etc., being brought from Cairo.* Following 
the usual and reasonable custom of travellers, we pushed 
on up the river, postponing visits to ruins until our 
descent, the current of the river being always a means 
of descending, while adverse winds might retard us 
greatly in the ascent. The immediate banks of the 
river preserve a uniform aspect. They are now (low 
Nile) about twenty feet high, of loose alluvion, and as 
level as a road, here and there intersected by tracts of 
sand. Numerous villages are constantly in sight, with 
their clustered palms, — camels, donkeys, and buffaloes, 
are seen everywhere, the last often up to their necks 
in water, to avoid the heat and insects. The peasant 
women, enveloped in their blue garments, look like 

* For expenses and necessary outfit of a Nile voyage, see Appendix. 

5 



54 



THE ARTS IN EGYPT. 



animated mummies, as they come in knots to the river 
side and fill their earthen jars, then poise them on their 
head, and return to their village. At short intervals 
we pass sakias and shadoofs, both instruments of irri- 
gation. The former is a succession of jars strung upon 
a wheel, which, revolving by the means of buffaloes, 
lifts the water and empties it into reservoirs or gutters 
provided for the purpose. The latter is a long pole, 
poised near the centre, having a bucket of leather at 
one end and a heavy weight of stone or baked mud at 
the other. The stone, being the heaviest, draws up 
the bucket whenever a man stationed at the bucket end 
has filled it with water. This is emptied on the land, 
and the bucket let down for another load. The men 
at the shadoofs sometimes accompany their work with 
a melancholy air, which, mellowed by the distance, 
comes over the water and strikes the ear favourably. 
We have only seen one tool used in the fields, and that 
a short-handled hoe. No carts are used for transport- 
ation of produce, but donkeys are loaded with the 
grain or grass till the animal is concealed, and the load 
has the appearance of possessing a mysterious anima- 
tion. Camels are also used in place of wagons and 
carts. 

Feb. 17. — To-day I walked ahead of the boat, and 
having selected a pleasant spot, attempted to wash my 
feet in the holy river ; but I cannot recommend his 
holiness as a foot-basin ; there being no rocks for a 
seat or footing, and the brink of the river being muddy, 
as fast as one foot had received the benefit of a towel, 
it was ready for another ablution. After regaining the 
boat by being carried over the shallows on the shoul- 
ders of the Arabs, a pleasant breeze bore us on, and, 
like all who are in prosperous circumstances, we began 
building various large edifices of hope, but a sudden 



CURIOUS HILLS. 



55 



cessation of the treacherous wind ruined these airy 
structures, and Thebes, which had a moment before 
been within grasp, retired indefinitely before our men- 
tal vision. We ran alongside the eastern shore, and 
made fast to the bank, near Dayr Conigh. The calm, 
but current-marked Nile, the low shores fringed with 
the beautiful palm, the frequent latteen sail, the distant 
pyramid, and the golden hues of sunset bathing all, 
filled us with an indescribable delight. Going ashore, 
we found hills of very curious formation, scarcely to be 
distinguished from massive remains of ancient build- 
ings. Long rows of huge steps ran regularly for a 
mile, forming terraces varying in size and shape, and 
on one of these seemed to rise the ruins of a Titanic 
temple. We wandered thoughtfully over these strange 
heights, as night gradually settled upon the scene, 
throwing its appropriate shadows over these mysterious 
wilds. Returning, we found our boat in its old com- 
panionship with the " Cleopatra," and the lights of our 
American friends were gleaming across the quiet river. 

Feb. 18. — To-day a tolerably good wind has carried 
us about thirty miles on our course. The river's banks 
have been sandy and dreary. We were gratified by 
seeing a boat approach, carrying the American flag ; it 
passed us with nearly the width of the river between 
us. My gun was fired, and the salute returned, but 
the vexatious distance precluded speaking, so that I 
was forced to put up with a disappointed curiosity and 
the loss of the pleasure of greeting personally some 
fellow-countrymen. But we had not proceeded far 
when we discovered a little boat coming towards us 
down the river ; she hauled alongside, and we were 
soon chatting busily with Messrs. S. and P., New 
Yorkers, like ourselves, whose boat had passed us, but 
who had been on a visit to our American friends ahead, 



36 



AN EGYPTIAN FACTORY. 



and now were kindly seeking us. After a pleasant 
interview, we bade them adieu, and, entering their row- 
boat, they pulled for their dahabiyeh. 

At four P. M. we passed Benisooef, the first large 
town since leaving Cairo. Its palm trees and factories 
were an agreeable sight. Don't smile, reader, at the 
idea of a factory being an agreeable sight. An Egyp- 
tian factory is not a huge, ugly, staring mass of brick 
and windows, such as wear the name in Europe and 
America, but long, low, neat, country houses, with 
projecting eaves, and girt with the foliage of numerous 
trees. Passing on without stopping, we halted for the 
night about ten miles beyond Benisooef, in company 
with the other Americans. 

Feb. 19. — For nearly two hours we were detained 
baling out our leaky boat, the rais having deceived 
us in regard to its tightness and good condition. We 
were also not a little troubled with the rats, that made 
night hideous in our contracted cabins, which, with 
the attacks of an unnumbered army of fleas and other 
small enemies, gave us a realizing insight into Eastern 
life. 

After our boat was cleared of the water, we pushed 
on, and towards noon halted at the village of Feshn, 
where we obtained a quasi carpenter, who, conjointly 
with our worthy crew, patched up the opening timbers. 
Thus three hours of the day were lost. While we 
were hoping to recover this time by harder work, the 
wind became so violent from the westward, that we 
were forced to fasten to the west bank, on a sandy 
strip that there bordered the water. The wind blew 
a hurricane, filling the air with sand and causing us to 
retreat into our cabins. Four of the men laid down 
upon the shore under the lee of a sand-hill, and while 
there, a strong gust loosened us from the bank and 



INCIDENTS OF A GALF. 



51 



bore us across the river, leaving our men sleeping, in 
utter ignorance of our departure. We thumped 
against the eastern bank for two or three hours, when 
the wind abating, allowed us to return for our men, who 
had been sufficiently dismayed on waking. On we 
went, till, the wind increasing to a gale, we scudded 
under bare poles. After a tedious day, we came to 
for the night about 10 P. M., off Jebel Sheikh em- 
Barak. The mountains of the Arabian side, level- 
topped yellow heights of rock, here border the river, 
while the Lybian range are correspondingly retired. 
The crew perform daily on the drum, which is a broad- 
based, thin-necked jar, whose bottom is removed and 
replaced by a sheepskin. With this there is a vocal 
accompaniment in the minor key, inexpressibly harsh. 

Feb. 20. — Delays crowd upon us. About 11 this 
morning, after a succession of lesser mishaps, caused 
by the extreme verdancy of our men, we closed the 
ceremonies with a glorious plunge into the bank, car- 
rying away half of our rudder. With a compulsory 
resignation, we drifted back to the nearest village — 
El-Meragha. While some dozen villagers were play- 
ing the carpenter about the fractured helm, whose 
fragments had been collected and laid out upon the 
bank, we sauntered into the village and explored its 
mud walls and palm grove. Sitting under the rude 
portico of a mud-built cafe, we indulged the curiosity 
of the settlement by taking the mocha in their midst. 
Just below the village, a short distance from the 
western bank is the Hagar e' S alum— or " Stone of 
Welfare," which in the eyes of the Nile boatmen has 
some connection with the good luck of their voyages. 
It is a dull rock, lifting itself a few feet out of the 
water. After two or three hours' visit to the hospi- 
table inhabitants of El Meragha, we found our unfor- 



58 



PUNISHMENT OF SAILORS. 



tunate " California" in condition to proceed. With a 
fair wind, we passed the village of Sharona, supposed 
by Wilkinson to be the ancient Shenero. A little 
beyond was a large red mound, called " Kom Ahmar" 
where are the remains of brick and masonry ; why is 
not this Shenero, whose name (as is often the case 
with a ruined town) is removed to the neighbouring 
village ? Aboo-Girgeh, about two miles from the bank, 
showed extensive mounds, the remains, doubtless, of 
a Pharaonic city. We discover that Hassanein is an 
unrivalled cook. To-day, a most complicated castel- 
lated structure of candy and fruit, the result of his 
skill in kitchen architecture, made its appearance on 
our table. We almost suspected him a disguised 
Frenchman. 

We are forcibly struck with the horizontal sum- 
mit of the low mountains which bound the Nile valley ; 
not a peak is to be observed. This flat appearance 
of the summits, with the sides slightly departing from 
a perpendicular, is very ingeniously supposed by some 
to be the origin of the Egyptian style of buildings as 
seen in the ruined temples. The Nile preserves the 
average width of half-a-mile, and, contrary to my ex- 
pectations, has a very tortuous course. On this ac- 
count, like the Mississippi, i t has cut off repeatedly 
large tongues of land by forming a new and more 
direct channel — and in one case nearly destroyed the 
town of Manfaloot by the operation. 

We were forced this morning to exercise our aus- 
terity for the first time in punishing two of our crew. 
They had delayed us by running off without permission 
into the country, and, as the only means of drilling 
order and obedience into a Nile boatman, we had re- 
course to the whip, the rais acting as executor of the 
penalty. Much as the whip is to be avoided, yet in a 



COPTIC CHRISTIANITY. 



59 



land where it is not considered an indignity, and 
where it is the usual method of punishment, there can 
be no impropriety in its limited exercise. At 11 
o'clock, we halted at the village of Galosanee. 

Feb. 21. — To-day we have had a good run. Leaving 
our night-quarters at Galosanee at 6| in the morning, 
we have reached Beni Hassan this evening. We 
passed the town of Samaloot about noon. It is away 
from the river westward, and is famous for its minaret, 
which tradition says was considered so fine by the 
Caliph at the time of its erection, that he had the 
hand of the artist amputated lest he should build 
another like it. I mounted the bank to look at it, but 
was disappointed. It is lofty, but of ordinary appear- 
ance, and manifestly crooked. At 3 P. M. we passed 
Minyeh, a Moslem town of large size and pleasant 
aspect. The Pacha's house and the factories are very 
neat in appearance, and a shaded sheikh's tomb is a 
conspicuous object. Nearly opposite is Souadee, where 
is a rum distillery of the Pacha. This is one of the 
civilizing influences that Moslem principles of absti- 
nence have not been able to withstand. Rum has an 
insinuating power everywhere. 

Before reaching Minyeh, the eastern mountains 
touched the water, their high yellow cliffs giving an 
air of wildness to the river. On their summit is the 
Coptic convent of Sitteh Mariam el Adra (Lady Mary 
the Virgin). On approaching this point we had heard, 
faint, in the distance, the hallooing voices of men upon 
the rocks, and on arriving opposite the cliffs we saw 
the figures tumbling from rock to rock, until, on reach- 
ing the river, they swam off to our boat, crying inces- 
santly " Ana Christian, ya hawagee " (I'm a Christian, 
sir). They made no hesitation in mounting the deck, 
with no other costume than nature furnished, and en- 



60 2STLE SGEHEBY. 

forcing their Christian character upon the attention of 
the ladies, as a claim to their charitable consideration. 
We hurried them off as expeditiously as possible, with 
powerful exhortations to modify their Christianity by 
assuming a decent apparel. A few piastres and some 
empty bottles were to them rich prizes for the treasury 
of their unique convent. 

On this side of Minyeh, and on the opposite shore, 
is Zowyeb. a remarkable place, as being the cemetery 
of Minyeh. to which the dead are ferried over ; the 
same custom being retained as was prevalent in ancient 
Egypt. — a custom which gave rise to the Grecian 
myth of the Styx. Xear this is another Kom Ahmar, 

mf ml 

or " Red Mound." supposed to be the site of the 
ancient Alabastron; it is a mass of red brick and 
pottery. 

One never wearies of the Xile. The strongly-mark- 
ed yellow hills, the graceful palms, the busy sakias, 
and shadoofs, the clear atmosphere, the delicious tem- 
perature, and the pleasure of travelling in one's own 
house, is enough to satisfy the most fastidious of 
voyagers. 

Feb. 22. — The Eastern Mountains have to-day ap- 
peared, honey-combed with natural and artificial exca- 
vations ; the same softness of rock which yielded to 
the elements having offered inducements to the Egyp- 
tians there to carve their sepulchres. Thus the curious 
grottoes of Beni Hassan and Tel el Amarna 3 so impor- 
tant in elucidation of Egyptian antiquity, are seen in 
the neighbourhood of many water-hewn caverns. 

Fine echoes answer the boatman's sons: along these 
imposing cliffs, and the various water fowl scream 
wildly from their dwellings in the jagged rock. We 
met anotjier steamer, towing a dahabiyeh which carried 
Xuzleh Hanem, Mohammed Ali's daughter, and widow 



DYKE OF THE OLD WOMAN. 



61 



of the infamous Defterdar. An infinity of rope inter- 
vened between the tug and its honoured follower, a dis- 
tance formed to keep the fair occupants of the daha- 
biyeh unseen by the rougher sex on board the steamer. 
The tall chimney of the Rauda sugar factory rose 
prominently on the shore, and the puffing steamer 
paddled past, — the Egyptian Phthah is become the 
Grecian Hephaestus on the banks of the Nile. 

A very interesting relic of the past greets the 
traveller on the river, in the remnants, here and there 
seen, of a wall running parallel with the stream, called 
" Gisr el Agoos" or " Dyke of the Old Woman," 
supposed to have extended from Nubia to the sea, and 
built as a defence against incursions from the Arabian 
desert. It is strange that no ancient author refers to 
this structure. Only small portions are now seen 
running across the mouths of ravines at different points 
on the river. Mounds of ruined towns are seen daily 
— the undistinguishable remnants of communities Pha- 
raonic, Persian, Ptolemaic or Roman. They are the 
most melancholy of all ruins, as baffling all attempts 
at theoretic restoration, and impressing the sole idea 
of destruction. Often modern villages are built on 
these mounds, the people finding them fitted by their 
elevation to escape the inundation. 

Washington's birth-day was duly remembered, and 
our patriotism oozed out in many musical tributes to 
the honor of the " everlasting Yankees." Not the least 
of our performances was the ascent of a palm tree, as 
a rostrum, whence to discourse sweet music to the 
bewildered natives. At sunset we fired four guns (or 
rather, pistols) in memory of the founder of American 
freedom, and drank to his remembrance with sincere 
feeling, though my friend C. did announce the toast, 
" To the health of George Washington." 



G2 



NILE BIRDS. 



Quantities of birds are seen on the banks of the 
river, or flying across its surface, or sailing gracefully 
therein. Wild duck and wild geese, of many varieties, 
snipe, hoopoos, quail and kingfishers, swallows and 
sparrows, hawks and crows, the ibis and pelican, and 
the curious little crocodile-bird, besides many other 
birds peculiar to the Nile. The crocodile-bird is 
small and snipe-like, of mingled black and white, its 
body being black, its neck white, and its wings gray. 
It stretches out its neck at each chirp most ludicrously. 
It. is this bird that is said to awaken the sleeping 
crocodile on approach of danger, and with its sharp 
hook at the point of its wing to extract the flies from 
its throat. Doves also abound, and frequently visit our 
deck in innocent security. Tame pigeons swarm at 
every village and form clouds in their flight, the houses 
of the villagers having often structures on their roofs 
as pigeon-cotes, which furnish a castellated appearance, 
frequently very deceptive. 

We are in the sugar-cane district. On all sides the 
plant is cultivated, and factories, native and European, 
are seen at intervals, for the manufacture of the sugar. 

Moored at 10 P. M., at the west bank, a mile north 
of Daroot e' Shereef, having made about thirty miles in 
the day. 

Feb. 23.— Another delay. About 1 o'clock, our skilful 
sailors brought us in contact with a dilapidated sakia 
on the bank, tearing our sail from yard to deck. Three 
hours were devoted to its repair, all the crew officiating 

as seamstresses or sailmakers. C and I employed 

the time by running up the mountain a half mile off, 
and exploring a fine artificial cavern, that showed well 
from the river. It is on the west face of the cliffs, and 
perhaps 150 feet in depth. Three rude square columns 
support its front, but its seven interior columns of 



A NOBLE CAVERN. 



63 



similar form have been knocked away, and their frag- 
ments remain like huge stalactites and stalagmites from 
the roof and floor. We fired a pistol with grand effect. 
From the summit of the range we had a glorious view 
of the green valley. On the west rose an endless 
succession of such hills as those on which we stood, 
and in their sides are numberless caverns. The 
mountains are far from the river on the western shore. 
We noticed the first specimens of the Bom or Theban 
palm near our place of halt. It differs in many respects 
from the common palm, but principally in its being 
ramiferous, each branch separating into two. The 
Governor of Dayr el Kossayr (or Sheikh el Belled, as 
he is called) gave us several specimens of the unripe 
fruit. 

With a westerly wind we passed Manfaloot, and still 
continue under sail, this being our first progress at so 
late an hour of the night (midnight). 



€$t Milt, 

SIOUT-ARAB CUSTOMS AND PRICES-THE GEBELS— SONGS- 
ARRIVAL AT THEBES. 

Feb. 24. — We continued moving last night until three 
o'clock, when we anchored about ten miles south of 
Manfaloot. At sunrise this morning we were again 
loose — and with the usual alternatives of sailing, track- 
ing, and poling, came into El Hamra, the port of Siout, 
at noon. 

Just before reaching this, we passed two daha- 
biyehs carrying the English flag. We had met another 
yesterday. Still another English boat was lying at 
Siout. Its occupant visited us, and informed us of a 
fever on board one of the English boats we had met, 
stating that the same fever had attacked another 
Englishman farther up the river. This was not wel- 
come news, as we knew we were too late on the river, 
and had some scruples regarding the propriety of 
making farther advance. Still it was a more unpleasant 
thought to return, and we decided, in unison with our 
inclinations, to persevere steadfastly until Thebes was 
seen. Syout, Siout, or Osiout (as it is variously 
written) is a large town, and the capital of Upper 
Egypt. It is distant a mile from the river, and has no 
beauty except in its minarets and shady entrance from 
the East. It is surrounded by a beautifully green 



SIOUT. 



country, which Miss Martineau compares to an Illinois 
prairie. El Hamra, the port, is a mean mud village. 
Having to remain 24 hours here for our crew to bake 
their bread, a custom always pursued by the boatmen 
of dahabiyehs, we mounted a selection of the many- 
offered donkeys, and made our way along the tree-lined 
causeway to the town. The entrance to Siout was 
really very pretty ; the gate admitted us into a beautiful 
shady court, near or on which were the gubernatorial 
residence and palace of Mohammed Ali. Around this 
pleasant spot, groups of Orientals were lounging and 
smoking. They gazed placidly upon us as we rode 
through and entered the meaner portions of the town. 
The streets are dirty and the bazaars shabby. Gal- 
loping away from them out of the western side of the 
town, we hurried to the mountain side that rises behind 
Siout, up whose steep face we climbed to see some 
cave-workmanship of Abraham's time ! The cliffs 
are limestone, and completely perforated by human 
labour. 

The principal caverns lie in ranges, one above the 
other, to the summit. The first we entered was the 
largest, and called " Stabl Antar," or " Stable of the 
Architect." It has an arched entrance or vestibule, 
from which a door-way leads to the principal chamber, 
at the extremity of which are many hieroglyphics, 
much defaced. We entered several others, and found 
painted hieroglyphics in some. The rooms are all of 
irregular shape, and contain pits for mummies. The 
uppermost range are smaller than the rest, and com- 
municate with one another, but whether originally or 
by the operations of modern research, I know not. 
We serpentined through a number, examined the hier- 
oglyphics, read many modern names upon the walls 
(among others those of Irby and Mangles), enjoyed 



06 



LOOSE EELIGION. 



the uncommonly fine view from the cliff-top, and then, 
with our donkeys and donkey-boys, retraced our way 
to Siout, where we rejoined one of our ladies, who 
reported herself to have been followed by crowds* 
staring in wonder at the unveiled Christian, for it is 
not often that the worthy citizens of Siout are treated 
with the sight of a Christian female. After avoiding 
with difficulty a herd of buffaloes that were driven 
through the narrow bazaar without any regard to 
unfortunate wayfarers, we again passed along the lovely 
road down to our boat. 

Here the donkey-boys were clamorous for more 
"backsheesh," and raised an unearthly uproar at the 
side of our craft. Wishing to improve the sport, I 
threw an orange among them, which caused an incredi- 
ble amount of scuffle, and which was at last devoured, 
amid terrific persecution, by a sore-eyed urchin. C — — 
wishing to add his quota to the fun, threw a lemon, 
which, taken for an orange, was treated in the same 
manner, and one youngster sunk his teeth into the 
tempting bait. As he discovered his mistake by wry 
faces and choked expectorations, a universal roar of 
laughter from his brethren saluted him — under which 
we made a regular charge upon them with eggs and 
other handy missiles, which drove them in confusion 
from the bank, and left us to the peaceful enjoyment of 
our mirth. 

Feb. 25. — Our crew wear the Mohammedan religion 
with great ease and indifference, and had the prophet 
no more ardent followers than they, the crescent would 
soon set for ever. Not one of them, (nor our servants 
either) have made a prayer since we left Cairo, for a 
Moslem prayer is so girt with ceremony that it defies 
concealment, and a believer of easy conscience is rea- 
dily discovered. 



CHEAPNESS OF LIVING. 



67 



In spite of their impiety, we found the people ex- 
ceedingly amiable and obliging, and easily persuaded. 
Why is not Egypt more cultivated as a missionary field ? 
I fully believe it is white for the harvest, and laborers 
only are needed to convert this moral desert to a gar- 
den. I trust our American Board of Commissioners 
will not be long without a representative in this deeply 
interesting land. 

We often meet large rafts formed of stone jars bound 
together by matting, and guided by a few of the fella- 
hin. These come from Ballas, near Thebes, where is 
an extensive manufactory of these useful utensils, which 
supplies all Eg}^pt ; from the place of their origin they 
are termed Ballas. The largest jars cost originally only 
one piastre, or five cents each. The next size, which are 
used by the women as water jars, cost but a half piastre 
or two cents each — while the smallest size, the goolahs, 
which serve as pitchers, bring four paras each, or half 
a cent. 

While speaking of these low prices, it is well to 
note that all the necessaries of life are found in Egypt 
at the lowest rates. Eggs are often purchased at sixty 
or eighty for a piastre, that is, twelve or sixteen for a 
cent; lentils can be bought at twenty-five cents a 
bushel ; a palm tree is worth from one dollar to five ; 
and a neat comfortable woollen rug, capable of seating 
four, is valued at thirty cents ! Indeed, it is said that 
for five cents a day, an Egyptian can board, lodge, and 
clothe himself, and have a surplus of pocket money. 
Each of our sailors receives as wages but two dollars 
and a half per month, and the pilot about a dollar and 
a quarter besides. A good sheep can be bought for a 
dollar, and a lamb for sixty cents ; and Egyptian segars 
(deliver me from their smoke) are sold at three for a 
cent. Travelling is correspondingly cheap. We pay 



68 



THE "GEBELS." 



for the use of our dahabiyeh for a voyage of six weeks 
only one hundred and twenty dollars, or thirty dollars 
for each person.* 

We spent last night at the port of Siout, and on 
waking this morning found the 44 Cleopatra," the French 
boat, (which had received the name of 44 Le Pirat,") and 
the English boat, by our side. Visits were exchanged, 
afterw hich, at 10 A. M., we left with a good breeze, the 
Scotch and English vessels remaining for their crews 
to bake bread, while 44 Le Pirat" kept us company. 
After a delightful run of twenty-seven miles, we came to 
our night's halt. 

Feb. 26. — We were moving as early as two o'clock, 
and about sunrise met with a provoking delay on a 
sand-bank. This is one of the almost unavoidable 
accidents in ascending the Nile at this season, the 
river being very low and the sand-banks innumerable 
and ever changing their position. With a fine breeze 
we passed the precipitous cliffs of Gebel Sheikh Her- 
eedee, another abutment of the Arabian mountains. We 
supposed their height to be about 800 feet. 

These various mountains that bear different names 
are only portions of the same long chain which extends 
from Cairo to Nubia. They present the same char- 
acter of yellow precipitous cliffs, hanging over the 
river. Such are the Gebel El Hereedee here noticed, 
the Gebel Aboofoda, near Manfaloot, the Gebel Sheikh 
Said, near Melawee, the Gebel e'Tayr, near Minyeh, 
and the Gebel Sheikh Em-Barak, half way between 
Minyeh and Benisooef. All these are the points of the 
chain that touch the river, and all are found on the 
East bank, the mountains nowhere approaching the 
river on the West side, between Thebes and Cairo, 



* For other particulars, see Appendix. 



WOMEN'S ORNAMENTS. 



69 



except at Siout, and there they are more than a mile 
distant. 

The name of some Sheikh (or Moslem Saint) is given 
to these mountains, from their tombs being situated 
upon them — little white-domed monuments, that never 
failed to remind us of our Saviour's allusion to " whited 
sepulchres." 

We have observed the men of the country spinning 
and the women at work in the fields. In the British 
Museum is a manuscript of the thirteenth century, a 
large folio of one hundred and twenty-two parchment 
leaves, containing many drawings illustrative of Scrip- 
ture history, both written and traditional. Among 
these is one representing a scene in those ancient days 

" When Adam delv'd and Eve span," 

where the first pair are depicted at these pursuits. So 
it seems by this most erudite authority, that the civil- 
ized nations of the earth have preserved the original 
distribution of employments, while the inhabitants of 
Upper Egypt have strangely reversed the proper works 
of the sexes. It may be, however, that this is a step 
in the greatly-extolled modern improvement, which is 
known to make men hair-dressers and women the heads 
of families. 

The women of the country wear a spot of paint upon 
their chin and another upon their forehead, giving their 
ugly faces a still more revolting aspect. The nose- 
rings, worn through the outer partition of the nostril, 
add to their unseemly appearance, though I cannot see 
greater impropriety in the use of these ornaments 
than in the ear-rings of our own ladies. Some great 
female reformer is needed among us, who shall sweep 
away the disfiguring and hurtful fashions that now 
hold the females of enlightened Europe and America 
6 



70 



BOAT SONGS. 



in the worst of bondage. In such reform, ear-rings will 
find the same fate with the senseless rib-compressing 
article of dress, at mention of which before gentlemen, 
ladies forthwith faint, or find refuge in hysterics, but 
which they nevertheless most undisguisedly thrust 
before every gentleman's eyes, in their wasp-like de- 
formities of figure. 

The utility of the palm tree is a beautiful instance 
of the provident manner in which Nature supplies 
human wants. Its trunk forms floor-timber and fuel ; 
its stems are used for boxes, chairs, and whips ; the 
ribbon-like strings beneath its leaves supply cord and 
rope ; the leaves themselves are employed in baskets 
and fly-brushes, and the fruit is either eaten or com- 
pressed to form a liquor used among the Arabs. 

The boat-songs of the Nile are amusing, but by no 
means musical. Some travellers find in them Iliads 
and iEneids, Horatian lyrics and Petrarchian amatory 
odes, but I tried in vain to extract a grain of merit 
from them all. A few of the principal songs given by 
our sailors, I here record, that the reader may judge 
of the beauties of the Nile muse : — 

" El yom ya Saidee — " 
(It is your day, Saidee.) 

This is one which they repeat by the hour. It calls 
for the protection of a Moslem santon, Saidee. 
Another is (I write it from ear), 

" Law b'gau, ya nebbee " 
(Help us, prophet.) 

A third signifies, 

"Best horses come from Arabia." 

A fourth is, 



ARAB SONGS. 



71 



" Iskandrian woman is coming from the bath, 
I'll go home with her, when her husband is away." 

This is the general style of their songs — the burden 
being exceedingly brief, but often repeated. 

What is amusing in these performances, is the tone 
of voice in which they are uttered, and the expression 
of countenance that the men sometimes assume, as 
they throw themselves in the most grotesque attitudes. 
When pushing the boat by poles, they generally use 
the words 

" Hay, hayly sah," 

the signification of which I am not Arabian enough to 
comprehend ; and, when tracking, some of their notes 
are inexpressibly ludicrous, more like the heavings of 
a donkey than aught else. But their most remarkable 
use of the lungs is when the boat strikes a sand-bank, 
and they leap naked into the water and apply their 
shoulders to the bows in order to push her again into 
deep water. Then comes rolling to the cabin such a 
mixture of pathetic and ridiculous, such an unearthly 
groaning as would drive the most Nil admirari philoso- 
pher off from his centre of gravity. That sound I 
despair utterly of describing, and must leave to the 
reader's very fertile imagination. 

The songs of more polished Arabs on shore, such 
as the story of Antar, of course, are far different things, 
in composition, sense, and music. ' We stopped to-day 
at the large town of Girgeh, where we met another 
English dahabiyeh on its way down to Cairo. The 
Englishman, poor fellow, was returning from an unfin- 
ished trip, sickness having forbidden his farther pro- 
gress upwards. After leaving Girgeh (which had no 
attractions), we again grounded and went through the 



72 



CROCODILES. 



usual tedious method of getting off during a high 
wind. The wind subsiding, we left the sand-bank and 
saw " Le Pirat " coming up with its bright lights. We 
have moored together by the shore, and while we have 
made merriment in our little cabin with our united 
forces, our two crews have joined in music and dance 
on our deck. This Nile life grows in interest, and is 
the most fascinating travelling imaginable. 

Feb. 27. — A calm day forced us to the slow system 
of tracking, and this evening we had to rest content 
with about fifteen miles of progress as the sum of our 
day's work. The village near which we halt bears 
the euphonious name of Gezeert Abou Neknag. The 
day was closed by an entertainment on board " Le 
Pirat," where our French friends furnished us with the 
luxuries of the Parisian cuisine. Our amusements have 
been augmented since passing Beni Hassan, by the 
presence of crocodiles, and our ineffectual attempts to 
carry one off as a prize. These animals are seldom 
seen on the river below the twenty-eighth parallel. 
They lie upon the sand-banks on the very edge of the 
river, like long black logs, and, at the approach of a 
boat or the report of a gun, flounder clumsily into the 
water. Our French friends hailed us from the shore, 
at one time, as we were passing on, proclaiming their 
success at having killed one of these monsters. We 
had heard the successive reports of their pieces, and 
now saw the creature lying dead upon the beach. But, 
unfortunately, the poor beast had long since died a 
natural death, and every passer lately had put a ball 
in his body, supposing himself the successful sports- 
man, until a closer examination told both eyes and 
nose of the sad mistake. The company of " Le Pirat," 
consequently, say as little as possible on the subject of 
crocodile-shooting. 



PRODUCE OF THE NILE VALLEY. 



13 



Among the superstitions of a Mussulman, is the ap- 
propriation of Thursday as washing-day, Monday 
wherein to cut their nails, and Friday as the time for 
shaving. We cannot ridicule this folly, while we have 
thousands at home who will not commence any under- 
taking on a Friday, and who carefully take their first 
sight at the new moon over the right shoulder. Half 
the follies of the Pagan and Mohammedan world might 
be discovered in our own conduct, with a slight micro- 
scopic observation. 

The agriculture of Egypt seems in a lamentably 
backward state. As before said, the little hoe appears 
to be the only implement of husbandry, and water- 
melons are planted along the mud-banks of the river 
with no other tool but the hands to scoop out a rest- 
ing-place for the seed. The same produce is derived 
from the Nile valley as in the time of Israel's bondage. 
We see constantly the leeks, onions, and garlic, the 
melons and the cucumbers, for which Egypt has ever 
been famous. Besides these, are cultivated the sugar- 
cane, peas, lupins, barley, wheat, clover, and tobacco. 
The varied colours of these crops, as viewed from either 
range of mountains, give the flat valley the appearance 
of a variegated carpet of richest material. Of trees, 
Egypt has a scanty assortment. We do not see the 
oaks, beeches, hemlocks, and myriad other forest- 
trees that border our own magnificent rivers ; Egypt's 
glory is other than this. The sycamore is, however, 
a dweller by the Nile, and the acacia is seen in 
beautiful groups, at intervals, upon the banks. The 
orange only grows in palace-gardens, preserved, like 
the harems, from the vulgar gaze. Rut the tree of 
Egypt is the palm, which flourishes luxuriantly in even- 
part of the land, and in a hundred varieties. From 
Thebes to the sea, the palms cluster gracefully along 



74 



NILE TOWNS. 



the banks, and seem as much identified with the coun- 
try as the Nile itself. 

Feb. 28. — Another delay in order to bale out our 
still leaky boat. This and the want of wind has given 
us another day of small advancement, and we now lie 
moored at Kasr e' Syad, opposite which are the 
mounds of old Chenoboscion, which was an asylum 
for Egyptian geese, who were there fed at the public 
expense. 

The towns on the Nile are either called Bender or 
Belled — the former being the larger, and having the 
government of a Hakim Effendi — the latter being anal- 
agous to our 44 Village," and under the authority of a 
Sheikh el Belled, or Village Chief. There are also 
" Governors of the Nile " stationed at various points 
on the river, whose province it is to settle disputes 
connected with the navigation. The term 44 Sheikh," 
probably finds the nearest English synonyme in 
44 Chief." It is applied both to civil and religious cha- 
racters, as the sheikh of a village, the sheikh of a col- 
lege of dervishes ; and a Sheikh ( par excellence) is the 
title of a Moslem Saint. It is often used besides, as 
a courteous title of address to any one — thus, " Sabal 
Khayr, ya Sheikh," is 44 Good morning, Sir." 

The tobacco of the Nile is of the vilest sort, and 
when prepared for use could scarcely be recognized 
as the article it professes to be. It resembles a mix- 
ture of stubble and bark. One cent's worth lasts an 
Egyptian for two days, but I verily believe would last 
an American a lifetime. For this stuff they pay the 
government 10 per cent, of the sale. Its bad quality 
is more than half attributable to the neglect of its 
proper cultivation, bad government and natural lazi- 
ness rendering the people utterly careless of improve- 
ment in any branch of employment. 



SALUTATIONS. 



15 



The Orientals are well known to be very punctili- 
ous in their salutations. When one presents you with 
a pipe, he touches his lips and forehead, to which you 
respond by a like movement. Sometimes the heart is 
also touched. When a pacha passes, the people bend 
nearly double, and with their right hand perform an 
imaginary scooping up of water from the ground; then 
standing erect, they touch the lips and forehead, 
while the pacha merely lays his hand upon his heart. 

March L — To-day we passed Dendera, but could 
not distinguish the temple. The banks of the river 
are here of a lovely green, and rich in palms. On the 
eastern side we noticed a few jagged peaks upon the 
mountains. These and one or two near Benisooef 
are the only exceptions to the horizontal summits that 
we have observed. 

Discipline is a thing unknown in our boat equipage. 
We hear the men and rais often involved in the dis- 
entanglement of some knotty questions, in which hard 
epithets fly thickly from both sides, but either party 
seems to have peculiar aversion to blows, being satis- 
fied with piling upon one another overwhelming loads 
of Arabic anathemas. The rais receives the title of 
" Dog " from his unruly crew, as if it was his undoubted 
cognomen, and shortly after is smoking peaceably in 
their midst. We are moored to-night at Ballas, the 
great jar-factory of Egypt, " Le Pirat " lying behind. 

March 2. — Almost in sight of Thebes the whole day, 
and yet prevented arriving there by the total lack of 
wind. We passed Koos, now an insignificant place, 
but the emporium of Upper Egypt 500 years ago. 
We are in night-quarters, four miles from Thebes, en- 
joying one of the most serene evenings I ever beheld. 
Not a sound disturbs the air ; the Nile is as placid as 
a sheltered lake, and with the structures of the distant 



76 



ARRIVAL AT THEBES, 



Past around us, we feel as if Time itself was slum- 
bering. 

March 3. — Thebes at last ! It is eighteen days 
since we left Boulac, and the distance only 450 miles ! 
So 25 miles has been our daily average. By urging 
the crew and avoiding stoppages, the other American 
boat had outstripped us by three days. It has been 
an oppressively hot day, but we lost no time, on arriv- 
ing, to commence our visits to the ruins. We moored 
our boat at Gournou or Gournah, one of the villages 
now occupying the site of Thebes. 



THE RUINS— TOMBS ---LUXOR— KARNAC— A DINNER PARTY. 

To describe Thebes, I leave my diary, to resume it 
again on the descent of the river. 

We spent four days among Theban antiquities, and 
were forced to great diligence to explore its principal 
wonders in that time, for to see thoroughly all the re- 
lics of this great city would consume a month at the 
least, and I doubt not years might be profitably and 
delightfully spent among its ruins. 

The name of Thebes is the Greek 0^ai, and stated 
by Wilkinson to be a corruption of the Coptic Tape, 
which was pronounced in the Memphitic dialect Tha- 
ba. The hieroglyphic name is Ap or Ape, which, 
with the article, is Tape, and signifies " the head," and 
refers to its rank as capital of the country. Its date 
of foundation is involved in mystery, but we have every 
reason to believe it existed nearly 2000 years before 
Christ. It is supposed to have reached the acme of 
its glory about 1000 B. C. It suffered probably at the 
invasion of the Ethiopians, about the year 778 B. C. ; 
and to this Nahum the Jewish prophet refers when, 
in predicting the destruction of Nineveh, he uses this 
language : " Art thou better than populous No (or as 



78 ITS HISTORY. 

in the Hebrew No-ammon*) that was situate among 
the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose 
rampart w as the sea, and her wall was from the sea ? 
(The Nile is still termed by the natives " The Sea.") 
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was in- 
finite ; Put and Lubim were thy helplers. Yet was 
she carried away ; her young children also were dashed 
in pieces at the top of all the streets; and they cast 
lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were 
bound in chains." It doubtless suffered again in the 
incursion of Nebuchadnezzar, about 600 B. C. And 
we know that the mad Persian Cambyses laid it waste 
with fire and sword, in 525 B. C, and the marks of his 
savage hand are, without doubt, seen in many of the 
ruined walls that now mourn over the desolate site. 
Its final destruction, however, was by Ptolemy La- 
thyrus, 81 B. C, who plundered it after a three years' 
siege. About eighty years thereafter, Strabo writes : 
" Now traces of the magnitude of Thebes are seen for 
a space of eighty stadia in length (that is, ten miles), 
including many temples, whose splendour Cambyses has 
greatly defaced — but now a few villages occupy the 
site !" From that period to this, the plundering hordes 
of Roman, Saracen, Turk, and Frank, have assisted 
in its demolition, and the driven sands have covered 
many of its mighty monuments. 

The temple of Gouraah, lying nearest our boat, was 
first visited. It is really a temple and a palace con- 
joined, dedicated to Amir ion or Jupiter., by Osirei, and 
completed by his son Ramses II., the supposed Sesos- 
tris. The beginning of the reign of Osirei is placed 
by Wilkinson at 1385 B. C, shortly after the death of 



* That by this is meant Thebes, the title of Ammon or Jupiter, to whom 
Thebes was dedicated, the Septuagint Translation of Diospolis (the known Greek 
name of Thebes) and the context all prove. 



GOURXAH TEMPLE. 



70 



Joshua. I leave descriptions of pyla and propyla, and 
the technical architecture of Egyptian temples, to those 
who have made it their study, and with brevity mention 
the leading features of the remains. The columns of 
the portico of this temple of Gournah are made to re- 
present a bundle of stalks of water-plants, and are as 
beautiful as they are unique. A dromos of Sphinxes, 
which was the splendid approach to the sanctuary, can 
be traced by the mutilated fragments. A dozen differ- 
ent apartments are seen in greater or less ruin, all ex- 
hibiting the distinguishing characteristics of Egyptian 
architecture. The temple portion is small, being only 
fifty-seven feet in length, though this hall is but a 
trifling part of the whole edifice. In the neighbourhood 
of this ruin are seen two prostrate statues of Ramses 
II., and a relief of Ramses III., who reigned about fift}~ 
years after. Other confused masses of ruins lie about, 
and mounds testify to the existence of hidden remnants 
of the ancient city. The appearance of one of these 
Egyptian temples in their day of glory must have been 
vastly imposing. Imagine a noble structure of huge 
stones, covered with the skilfully-carved hieroglyphics, 
rising majestically over the plain. A massive portico 
fronts the edifice, and before this again is raised a 
pylon, or gateway, on each side of which rise the lofty 
towers of the propylaca. To this gateway leads a 
broad avenue, bordered on either side by a row of 
stone Sphinxes, the sacred guardians of the way, and 
along this unrivalled path march, in all the pomp of 
heathen ritual, the bands of priests and people, the 
most enchanting music accompanying their progress, 
and gold and silver sparkling in their garments and 
waving banners. The heart sinks in sadness as the 
imagination of such glorious scenes is exchanged for 



so 



THE RAMSESIUM. 



the view of the weed-grown fragments that remain 
from all that splendour. 

A mile to the southwest of Gournah is the celebrated 
Memnonium, now more properly called by the anti- 
quaries the Ramsesium, as having been built by the 
same monarch who completed the temple of Gournah. 
This temple is 500 feet in length, and varies in breadth 
from 180 to 130 feet Its propyla remain in massive 
majesty, and opposite these, in the first grand area, is 
the broken Colossus of Ramses II., the largest stone 
statue in the world. It contains, according to calcula- 
tions, nearly three times the solid contents of the great 
obelisk at Karnac, and weighs 887 tons ! It is a 
mystery even to account for the manner in which 
Cambyses (for it was doubtless his work) overthrew 
this mass of stone ; much more to conceive the method 
of its transportation hither. The upper part of the 
statue lies gloomily in the sand, and from the humbled 
monarch the miserable Arabs have cut their millstones. 
Another and another hall disclose their grandeur to 
the visiter, the weighty columns still in many cases at 
their post, waiting for time to give the signal for their 
departure. Some of these pillars are 21 feet in cir- 
cumference. All notion of grandeur is by comparison, 
for here, among these huge structures, that seem up- 
reared by Titans, if we cast our thoughts to that great 
day when an assembled universe shall hear in awful 
silence the final awards of a righteous God, and ten 
thousand worlds shall sound the praises of Jehovah, 
the temples of Thebes and their mighty builders will 
become less than the smallest dust of the balance, 
and utterly lost in their insignificance. 

A mile farther south is the temple and palace of 
Medeenet Abou, so called from the decayed village 
that obstructs the ruins. The oldest part of this group 



MEDEENET ABOIL 



81 



was built by Amun-neit Gori, supposed to be one of 
the Pharaohs who oppressed the children of Israel. 
His two successors made additions, and Ramses III., 
some two or three centuries thereafter, built the palace. 
The buildings are so confounded by the ruins and 
modern obstructions, that it is very difficult to obtain 
a correct idea of their arrangement. On mounting to 
the second story of the palace, which is supposed to 
have been the private portion of the king's residence, 
a very curious sculpture is seen among many admirable 
efforts. It is the king and one of his favourites engaged 
in playing chess, the chess-men being all alike, and re- 
sembling our pawns. Wilkinson states that a similar 
sculpture is seen in one of the grottoes of Beni Hassan, 
which dates 500 years earlier, in the time of Joseph, 
Another striking peculiarity in this group of ruins is 
seen in a large open hall, which has on one side eight 
circular columns, and on the other seven Osiride pillars, 
the Osiride pillars being square, with a colossus relief of 
Osiris on one face. This want of symmetry is often 
seen in ancient Egyptian architecture. The walls, 
like those of all the temples of Thebes, are covered 
with sculptures, the principal subject being the battles 
and triumphs of the various monarchs. The eastern 
portion of this temple is the work of several Caesars, 
whose names are found inscribed upon the pylon. 

Still farther south is a neat little temple of the time 
of the Ptolemies. 

Dayr el Medeeneh is a small Ptolemaic temple be- 
yond the Memnonium, chiefly interesting from the 
sycamore cramps, which bind the stones together, still 
remaining in this dry climate. 

Dayr el Bahree is a name given to a ruined temple, 
lying west of Gournah, whose outline can be traced 
by its faint remains. It must have been the main tern- 



82 



DAYE EL BAHKEE. 



pie on this side the river. Its plainly defined dromos 
was 1600 feet long. This dromos corresponds in line 
to that of Karnac opposite, with which it was probably 
connected by a bridge, thus forming the most majestic 
avenue in the world. 

Out in the open fields, between these ruins and the 
Nile, are the two colossi of the plain, discovered by 
Champollion to be the work of Amunoph III., whose 
reign is placed by Wilkinson 1430 before Christ, that 
is. about the time of Joshua. 

These immense seated statues, though much muti- 
lated, wear an awe inspiring dignity, and for 3000 
years have called forth the wonder and respect, nay, 
sometimes the worship of the successive generations 
who have come and gone before them. There they 
still sit, calmly and in grandeur, with faces turned 
towards the holy river, and there they shall sit, doubt- 
less, until the trump whose voice shall startle a uni- 
verse shall call them to the common fate of all things 
earthly. One of these figures (the most northern) was 
the Memnon of the Roman writers, whose mysterious 
chaunt saluted the rising sun. This miraculous song is 
well supposed to have been the striking of the stone in 
the lap of the figure. I sent a boy up into the lap by 
a fissure in the back, and the sounds he caused by 
striking the stone, while he was entirely hidden from 
those below, were decidedly musical. This was an 
Egyptian device of furnishing " sermons from stones 
at least a charitable mind will erect this hypothesis. 

The mountains behind Thebes are rich in tombs, 
which have proved to the world the richest contribu- 
tions to the elucidation of ancient Egyptian history. 
Beneath these rocky cliffs, and in various retired val- 
leys, are these excavated homes of the dead. In one 
section are gathered the priests — in another the an- 



BELZOXI'S TOMB. 



83 



cient queens of the valley of the Nile ; but in greater 
splendour than all the others are buried the embalmed 
remains of the Pharaohs themselves. The mountain 
over these last rises to a natural pyramidal summit, a 
noble monument to surmount these royal sepulchres. 
The doorways of the tombs are on a level with the 
valley, and usually, a descent by inclined plane or 
staircase leads to the subterranean chambers. Wil- 
kinson has painted numbers on the outside of each 
tomb, in order to render reference more easy. The 
main tomb (No. 17) bears the name of Belzoni, having 
been opened by that enterprising discoverer. A sinking 
of the ground above betrayed its existence to some 
fellahin, and they communicated their suspicions to 
Belzoni. He forced an entrance, and passing down 
a double stairway and along a narrow passage, found 
himself in a chamber twelve feet by fourteen. At the 
end of this chamber was a deep pit, evidently intended 
for the corpse, and marking the limit of the tomb. The 
privilege of unlocking mystery forms one of the keenest 
enjoyments of the mind. If we analyze this enjoyment 
w r e find in it a benevolent and selfish principle ; bene- 
volent, in exposing to our fellows new feasts of pleasure, 
and selfish, in obtaining ourselves the first fresh taste 
of these. These principles are, of course, by no means 
of equal weight in every one, but in proportion as 
either one predominates, so is the individual of enlarged 
or contracted mind. But however this may be, in all 
cases there is a vehement enjoyment derived from dis- 
covery, and we may imagine that a discovery in such 
an interesting field as Egyptian antiquities, would have 
a peculiar flavour of delight, and this was Belzoni's 
reward. He had here disclosed the important secrets 
of a treasure-house that for thousands of years had never 
been whispered to the ear of man. He followed path- 



84 



ITS GORGEOUS INTERIOR. 



ways where even the footsteps of Time had left no 
impress, and he entered the chamber where Death had 
held its lonely habitation for long, long centuries, 
where the noise of the wheels of Life had not pene- 
trated, and whence Light, Life's emblem, had been 
banished. How his heart must have swelled with emo- 
tion as those grim old carvings looked down upon him 
from their silent ranks, and the sullen echo that an- 
swered to his tread must have fallen on his ear as the 
voice of the forgotten Past ! 

But his astonished soul was yet to find new sources of 
surprise. This pit was not the limit of the mysterious 
tomb. No ! that farther wall returns a hollow sound 
— that narrow crevice bretrays some novel wonder — 
and the discoverer forgets the prize just won, in his eager 
pursuit of the new wealth that is now offered for his 
grasp. A palm tree is brought to act against the bar- 
rier, which proves a vain guardian to the inner vault, 
for the prostrate wall soon reveals the dazzling splen- 
dour that has stood so long concealed within, but which 
now shines in its pristine lustre, upon the daring in- 
truder. 

Four large pillars, adorned with sculptures glowing 
in richest colours, support the roof of rock — and 
around this brilliant hall are vivid representations of 
regal life and mystic symbols, of the fairest design and 
colouring. Beyond this rich apartment is another, 
in which are seen the figures left by the draughtsmen 
upon the walls, but which the sculptor had not yet 
touched with his chisel ; for the death of the king, or 
the outbreak of civil disturbance, had closed the portal 
ere this subterranean palace had attained its comple- 
tion. Still more chambers lie beyond, among which 
is a grand hall of six pillars, at the extremity of which 
stood an alabaster sarcophagus. Yet farther passages 



FAMILIAR NAMES. 



85 



led to apartments more remote, but the fallen roof has 
excluded their investigation. Who can visit these 
suites of excavations in the bowels of the earth, or read 
a description of their wonders, without having brought 
vividly to mind the words of Ezekiel ; " When I looked, 
behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, 4 Son 
of man, dig now in the wall :' and when I had digged in 
the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, ' Go 
in and behold the wicked abominations that they do 
here.' So I went in and saw : and behold, every form 
of creeping things and abominable beasts, and all the 
idols of the house of Israel portrayed upon the wall 
round about." The idolatry of Israel here described 
was undoubtedly derived from the practices of Egypt, 
and the " chambers of imagery" that called forth 
divine censure were the copies of these Theban exca- 
vations. 

It was with great surprise and pleasure that, in the 
midst of our meditations in this curious spot, we read 
inscribed upon the wall of an unfinished apartment, the 
familiar names of three New York friends, who, thirteen 
years before, had like us been here as admiring visit- 
ants. Our thoughts immediately turned to Broadway, 
and, in spite of the attractive works of ancient Egypt's 
painters, sculptors, and architects, our bodies alone 
were in those gorgeous vaults, for our spirits had flown 
to the abodes of the Manhattoes. 

Bruce's tomb, (No. 11), also called from one of its 
paintings the Harper's Tomb, is of great interest, from 
the accurate pictures of the manners and customs of 
the old Egyptians, that occupy its walls. Here are 
seen in bright colours the various processes of butchery 
and baking, navigation and the art of war. Moreover, 
the finest furniture, household utensils of every descrip- 
tion, musical instruments, fruits, birds, and the different 
7 



r 



86 



SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES, 



agricultural employments, are all vividly depicted, 
throwing an intense light upon Egyptian history, and 
showing a high state of civilization in the Nile Valley, 
1200 years before the birth of Christ. This tomb bears 
the name of Ramses III., and Belzoni's that of Osirei, 
the father of Sesostris. 

We entered many others of inferior merit, but a de- 
scription of one is amply sufficient to any one who 
desires a general knowlege of things Egyptian ; and 
as my readers, I trust, are of this sort, I will at the same 
time please them, and avoid a large amount of statistic- 
al trouble, by dealing in generalities. 

These tombs, or many of them, have probably been 
rifled at various epochs, from their construction to the 
days of the Ceesars. By the account of Diodorus, who 
states that only seventeen remained in the time of 
Ptolemy Lagus out of an original number of forty-seven, 
we may suppose that the rest were covered and con- 
cealed previous to the days 'of the Ptolemies, and have 
so continued until modern discoverers have again made 
public their remarkable interiors. It is only by the 
hypothesis of their plunder, that we may account for 
the absence of valuable relics, and even of the body 
itself, in many of the tombs. 

These sepulchres (at least those known at the time) 
are called by the Greeks and Romans dvpr/yeg, or tunnels, 
and that they were visited by the travelling gentry of 
those days is known by the many scribblings on the 
walls. One Roman thus records his visit, scratching 
the record among the hieroglyphics. " Janvarius P. P. 
Vidi et miravi locum." A Greek, who seems to have 
had but little antiquarian taste, writes his sentiments 

as follows : "Etfjpavios ftfropT/tfa ovSsv 6s sdaujxatfa v\ <rov Xjdov," (I 

Epiphanius saw nothing wonderful but. the stone), 



HOT RAVINES. 



87 



meaning, probably, the large sarcophagus near which 
he has written his contemptuous opinion. 

It was a day of intense heat in which we visited 
these tombs. Their interiors w r ere cool and pleasant, 
but on passing from them to the close sandy valley, 
surrounded by rocks that seemed to blister in the sun, 
we almost fainted with the reflected heat, in spite of 
our constant recourse to the goolahs of w T ater that a 
small army of Arab boys carried after us. As we 
wound along the curves of this oven-like ravine, we 
met our American friends, Dr. W. and Mr. M., arrayed 
in costume that would have convulsed an occidental 
community, riding through the scorching heat to take 
a final look at the tombs, previous to leaving for Cairo 
in the evening. They gave us an invitation to dine on 
their boat after the toils of the day were over, and that 
evening there was as comfortable a dinner-party off 
Thebes as New York ever had represented on the Nile. 
That night our friends gave us their farewell salutes, 
a dozen guns disturbing the quiet of the evening air ; 
and as their boat disappeared in the darkness, and the 
sound of their oars became lost in the distance, we felt 
our loneliness and strove to entertain the hope that a 
future day might bring us to a meeting in our own and 
distant land. 

For deep interest, it is probable, the tombs of 
Thebes exceed its other relics ; but for grandeur we 
must cross the Nile and bow before the majesty of 
Karnac. Karnac and Luxor are the two points on the 
eastern shore where the power of ancient Egypt has 
left its most remarkable tokens. At Luxor rise the 
lofty walls and pillars of a temple built by Amunoph III., 
the Memnon of the vocal statue, and embellished by 
the great Sesostris, whose magic hand seems to have 



s8 



KAEKAC. 



been felt in every part of the vast extent of Thebes. 
The great colonnade of this temple is one of the finest 
sights of Egypt, the lotus capitals exhibiting a perpet- 
ual bloom, symbolical of the eternal youth of art. 
A miserable Arab village clings to the temple's sides, 
and fills its areas, disfiguring its beauty, though these 
habitations have the effect of assisting the grandeur of 
the edifice by comparison. On either side of the pylon 
is a colossal statue of Ramses seated, but the effigies 
of the old king are like his history — almost concealed 
from view. The sand has accumulated around these 
giant statues, so that the king has really four feet in 
the grave. Indeed one of these colossi only shows 
the head above ground. Seeing an Arab matron and 
her babes gathered about this surviving portion, who 
will chide me for pitying the unhappy monarch, who, 
notwithstanding his calamitous condition, has the 
weight of a family on his shoulders ? 

Before these statues is the widowed obelisk, its 
mate having been removed by the French to Paris, 
where it forms one of the greatest ornaments of that 
capital. A dromos formerly connected the temples of 
Luxor and Karnac, which are a mile and a half apart. 
The Sphinxes that lined this dromos are still seen in 
fragments near the latter temple — many of them the 
criosphinxes or ram-head sphinxes. Of Karnac it is 
impossible to convey a correct idea. It is a stupen- 
dous pile of buildings, some two miles in circuit, and 
of every date from the time of Osirtasen (supposed to 
be the Pharaoh of Joseph's day) to that of Ptolemy 
Physcon, B. C. 145 — a period of 1650 years. The 
grand hall was the work of Osirei, the father of Sesos- 
tris, and for grandeur, casts in the shade every other 
room ever constructed on earth. This apartment is 
329 feet long and 170 feet wide, and is supported by 



KARNAC. 



89 



134 columns, 12 of which are 66 feet high and 12 feet 
in diameter, and the rest 42 feet high and 9 feet in di- 
ameter ! The mention of these numbers will give a 
faint conception of the prodigious size and massive 
appearance of this hall. On column and wall and 
roof are innumerable paintings of the Egyptian school, 
giving a tone of life to the desolate temple. Among 
these entangled ruins two obelisks still remain upright, 
one of which is of the surprising height of 92 feet. 
Colossi are sprinkled about with a lavishness befitting 
the statuettes of a plaster-cast merchant ; pylse or 
propyla, pillars and obelisks, walls and roofs, sphinxes 
and relievos, paintings and hieroglyphics, are every- 
where in indescribable confusion. 

From the summit of the lofty propyla, we saw the 
sun go down behind the western hills, bathing the 
ruins in a mellow light, which seemed the rays escaped 
from heaven's portal, so full of sweet joy and peace, 
so softly brilliant, were those brief gleams of setting 
day. The darkness of night soon enveloped Karnac 
in its folds, rendering the ruins a shapeless mass, and 
drove us to our boat, where we were shortly busy 
with dreams of Thebes and Sesostris in all their glory. 




A3 



2 
□ 



J L 



1. A Pedestal. 2. Pits, 



9 



90 



TOMB OF PETAMUNAP. 



There is a tomb upon the western shore I cannot 
omit to mention. It is that of the priest Petamunap, 
who is supposed to have flourished not long before the 
inroad of Cambyses. It is the largest tomb in Thebes, 
and shows remarkable peculiarity of arrangement. 

The foregoing is an approximate sketch of its in- 
terior, taken merely from a passing view of its apart- 
ments. 

Besides the floor here given, are two lower. 

The direct length of apartments is 862 feet, not in- 
cluding the lateral chambers or the other floors. This 
Petamunap was, doubtless, the Wolsey of his day, and 
had no idea of the church being considered inferior to 
the state, and while the Pharaohs were erecting their 
noble palaces in the face of heaven, the cunning priest 
was mouse-like gnawing out the interior of the earth 
and forming a palace for his corpse, that should remain 
sound in every item when the lofty domes of the mon- 
archs were crumbled into dust. 

We have thus enumerated the principal relics of 
ancient Thebes, marks of the earlier civilization of our 
world. Here in this beautiful valley were flourishing 
the arts and sciences, when Europe was a wilderness 
of savages, or even an uninhabited wild. From these 
temples and palaces flowed the civilizing stream 
through Greece and Rome to the kingdoms of modern 
Europe and the extended shores of a New World ; and 
while these climes are well watered by this vivifying 
stream, its sources among the sands of Egypt are 
nearly dry. However much we may admire the great 
advance of ancient Egypt in the arts, it is folly to 
attribute to those early times a farther progress than 
is enjoyed by us. Some antiquaries, surprised at the 
wonderful delineations of the successful practice of 
many arts depicted on the ruins of Egypt, have, like 



EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION. 



91 



the bent bow, sprung from incredulity into the most 
fanatical ideas regarding the ancient civilization of the 
Nile valley, and its vast superiority to that of the pres- 
ent day ; and they declare, in accordance with these 
notions, that man was created not a savage, but a 
civilized being, and that therefore, in the earlier stages 
of the world's history we must expect to find the 
golden age of civilization. This reasoning is based 
on two false assumptions — that man deteriorates as 
the world grows older, and that man's original civiliza- 
tion, received directly from his Creator, comprehended 
an enlightened knowledge of the arts. As regards the 
first assumption, the history of particular nations may 
be summoned to testify to man's faculties of improve- 
ment. Are not nations daily advancing in every branch 
of civilization before our eyes ? Is European refinement 
of the nineteenth century inferior to that of the four- 
teenth ? And is the march of improvement in the Sand- 
wich Islands retrograde ? Or, if the opponent says that 
these improvements in particular quarters are neverthe- 
less accompanied by a deterioration in the whole mass 
of the world's inhabitants, we would merely ask him 
to compare the world's civilization now and that of 
the middle ages. Take the whole globe, and in full 
view we have its rapid advance in civilization within 
the last four centuries. 

We therefore see no argument for the ancient supe- 
riority of Egyptian civilization in the natural deterio- 
ration of the human race ; nor do we find support for 
the theory of the wonderful advancement of that land 
in the arts, in the fact that man was created a civilized 
being ; for though his mental faculties may have been 
the keenest in perceiving the relations of cause and 
effect, and his manners may have exhibited the most 
perfect refinement, yet he could not have been ac- 



» 



92 



A DINNER PARTY AT LUXOR. 



quainted with the myriad mechanical arts, as they 
were both unnecessary for his wants and too numerous 
for his attention. Indeed, Scripture also tells us of 
the discovery of the useful arts long after the creation 
of man, for Tubal Cain was not indebted to Adam for 
his smith-work. 

We are therefore unbelievers in the imagined supe- 
riority of Egyptian civilization over our own ; and with 
the printing-press, the steam-engine, the majestic tele- 
graph, and the preached Gospel, we defy comparison 

Yet Egypt undoubtedly was a wise and polished 
nation. The comforts and luxuries of life were there 
enjoyed, and wholesome laws encouraged the labours 
of the artisan. This we could learn from the monu- 
ments, were history silent ; but history is not silent, 
and from Grecian and Roman authors we have full 
testimony to the enlightened condition of the Egyptian 
nation. 

While lying at Luxor, we ventured on giving a 
dinner-party. Our Scotch friends were to be our 
guests. Dragoman and cook were carefully admon- 
ished to keep up the dignity of our dahabiyeh, w^hich, 
however, was an imaginary quality, but nevertheless a 
fulcrum by which to raise the energies of our Fridays 
in preparing a good feast. From the village was levied 
the due quantity of live stock for slaughter, and a 
dozen officious Arabs acted as butchers and scullions, 
content to receive payment in a chance handful of 
fragments. Our fire smoked as if our boat had been 
transformed into a steamer, and the pompous Has- 
sanein assumed the bearing of a general on the eve 
of battle. Ibrahim, however, struck terror into our 
hearts in the midst of our arrangements. He had 
made an inventory of our table furniture, and found it 
rather limited, unless we should take dinner in rota- 



• 



INVITATION. 



93 



tion. This would be well enough for our principal 
guest, who of course would have the first morsels ; 
but as it would be horrid cruelty to those succeeding, 
who would thus from guests become waiters, and whose 
hunger would rival in extent and manner of treatment 
the thirst of Tantalus, we discarded the idea, a little 
pride and selfishness mingling in our decision. But 
what were we to do ? It was impossible to make 
seven plates out of four, or seven chairs out of two. 
To be sure, cups and saucers might be used as plates, 
and boxes as chairs, but then there are still the knives, 
forks, and spoons wanting. At Ibrahim's suggestion 
(to whose knowledge of Egyptian etiquette we bowed 
implicitly), we adopted a happy expedient. We add- 
ed a Nota Bene to our note of invitation, which then 
ran somewhat as follows : 

Luxor, March 6, 1849. 

Mr. and Mrs request the pleasure of Mrs. and Messrs. G 's 

company to dinner this evening at 6 o'clock. 

N. B. — Please bring with } t ou six plates, ten knives and forks, 
twelve spoons, a coffee-pot, a table, and four chairs. Also, several 
tumblers and wine-glasses. 

Thus were our forebodings set at rest by the rare 
device of our worthy Ibrahim, our hospitality being- 
enlarged to the invitation of guests both animate and 
inanimate. It is a well-known fact in the daily or 
nightly history of city fashion at home, that the dis- 
play of silver and crockery upon the supper-table is 
borrowed splendour. What more reasonable than 
that such loans should be made by the partakers of 
the banquet ? This, to us, was a rational theory on 
the Nile, and its practice succeeded to a charm. 

The distribution of the company was the next 
thought, and we began to calculate the square inches 



94 



THE DINNER, 



necessary for a human being to have to himself in 
order to preserve life. When our guests arrived, we 
shrewdly remarked that it was so much more delight- 
ful in the open air than under a roof ; this stopped 
the gentlemen on the deck, where fortunately was 
verge enough. The oriental use of divans w r as of sav- 
ing importance to us, for we immediately passed off 
our beds for the most approved divans, and the want 
of space for our borrowed, chairs was most gracefully 
concealed by the adoption of an Egyptian style. Many 
other curious peculiarities, that found a parent in in- 
vention's mother, were naively attributed to a refined 
taste. A lantern received high encomiums as avoiding 
the flare that would have inevitably attended a can- 
delabra, — a pitcher with a broken handle was reckoned 
an imitation of Etruscan form, — and some shocking 
brandy was straightway supposed to be a novel spe- 
cies of foreign wine. Hassanein and Ibrahim were 
ecstatic with the delight of successful practicians, and 
our swarthy crew looked towards the cabin as to an 
elysium graciously brought within range of their mor- 
tal vision. In spite of our perplexities, we made a 
good dinner, and separated with those peculiar feel- 
ings that are the portion of those who dine heartily 
beneath the ruins of Luxor. Next morning our Scotch 
friends passed on, in their w r ay up to Edfou ; but the 
desert was before us, and we had reached the limits 
of our Nile voyage, for the increasing heat would soon 
render desert-travelling dangerous, 



€$t Mi. 



DENDERA— A TURKISH BATH-AN ADVENTURE— ABYDUS— NIGHT 
ADVENTURE. 

On the evening of the 7th March, we dropped 
quietly down the stream, bearing away from Thebes 
an enlarged stock of knowledge, pleasant memories, 
and a miniature museum of antiquities. In this last 
department several mummies testified to our zeal. I 
had become possessed of a lady's hand — a hand which 
had probably had a hundred suitors 3000 years ago, 
but was left for a stranger from the land of the setting 
sun, thirty centuries after the fair owner had made her 
debut ; Egyptian old maids had no reason to fear in- 
creasing age. The ring upon my acquired hand had 
been placed there by some hopeful gallant, a subject of 
the Osirtasens and Amunophs — but in vain ; a rival he 
had not suspected was to carry both ring and hand 
away, and bear them to an unknown shore. A cat, 
moreover, (that had mewed and purred by some 
Theban fireside, when the household was discussing a 
new victory of Sesostris, and counting him a promis- 
ing fellow,) was another ornament to our cabin ; all 
swaddled, as if to avert the chill of death, she was soon 
detected by our domestic rats, and these feline enemies 



90 



KOPT AND KOOS. 



immediately commenced a revengeful attack upon her 
fair form, as though in her was the source of all the 
ills that rat-life is heir to, and pussy would have fallen 
a victim to these avenging spirits, had not her lifeless 
claws and stiffened jaws been removed to a safer po- 
sition. 

C had brought away a veritable human head — 

skin, features, and hair, complete — who knows, but the 
visage of a Pharaoh ? It was duly suspended in our 
cabin, and formed a peaceable addition to our travelling 
party ; like the modern Egyptians, he travelled without 
a trunk. 

To resume the diary. 

March 8. — A strong head wind has kept us all day 
lying quietly between Kopt and Koos, only twelve 
miles from Thebes. The scenery being tame, we have 
had recourse to our library for pastime ; and we have 
watched the women, as they come for water to the 
river, wondering at the weight they bear upon their 
heads, and the steadiness with which they manage 
their loads. Though the wind blew violently, these 
women would bear their large filled jars upon their 
heads perfectly upright, scarcely ever using their 
hands as support. This use of head for hands, so 
manifestly inappropriate for the rounded skull, Nature 
never designed, unless for the Flat-head Indians ; but 
the women of Egypt (though no blue-stockings) inva- 
riably prefer head work to hand work, and have as 
little regard for nature as the most civilized being 
could exhibit. 

In descending the Nile, the main-mast of a dahabiyeh 
is raised from its socket and laid lengthwise along the 
boat, resting on the cabin roof, and bound at the other 
end to the surviving mast. This gives room for the 
crew to perform their inimitable feats in rowing, in 



TRADE. 



97 



which their aim seems to consist in making the most 
violent movements with the oars, and obtain the least 
benefit in progress. The end of the oar in the water 
is entirely forgotten in their amusement with the end 
they have in their hands, so that a traveller who ex- 
pects any other agency in descending the Nile than 
wind and current, will be wofully mistaken. There is 
an immense amount of the ludicrous in his crew's 
manoeuvres ; so he must enjoy the fun and pocket the 
disappointment. 

It is near our present position that the trade of 
Upper Egypt for ages flowed — the costly goods of 
Indian fabric reaching Kopt (or Coptos) from the port 
of Berenice on the Red Sea, and hence being taken 
by the Nile to the nations of the Mediterranean. Even 
now there is a caravan route from Kossayr upon the 
Red Sea to Kopt, but Suez and Cairo have proved 
more advantageous positions for the course of modern 
trade, and Upper Egypt is robbed of all her glories. 

March 9. — Ibrahim roused me from bed about 7 
o'clock, chiding my lateness, and telling me that we 
were nearly at Kenneh ; I hurriedly dressed, and found 
our boat about stopping among a motley company of 
Nile craft, by the mud bank of the town. As our ob- 
ject was to see Dendera, (which lies opposite,) and 
not to give the crew an opportunity of desertion at 
Kenneh, I ordered the rais instantly to cross the river, 
and land at the opposite side, where was no tempting 
village to entice our worthies ashore. To this the 
Nubian had decided objections. It wasn't customary, 
and the water opposite was too shallow for the boat, 
and Kenneh was worth seeing, and I don't know how 
many more reasons for remaining where we were, 
arose in the mind of the rais, and were successively 
poured out in our ears. But his devices were fruitless. 



98 



DENDEEA. 



I gave him, in turn, my reason for crossing, viz., that 
I wished to go; and he reluctantly found it his better 
policy to give up all the anticipated delights of a 
ramble in Kenneh. We thereupon crossed, and found 
the river not so shallow but that we could reach a 
point about twenty feet from the shore, and, by means 
of planks, this was got over by us dry-shod. 

We had ordered donkeys over from Kenneh, and a 
tub-like scow had brought them. Mounting these 
sorry specimens, we rode for a mile over the plain, 
grown with " halfeh," a coarse grass, before we reach- 
ed the sandy mounds of Tentyris (Dendera). From 
the banks of the river the top of the front portico of 
the great temple had been visible over the intervening 
mounds, but the remainder of the ruins were concealed 
from view until we had reached the site. The main 
temple, erected to Athor, the Egyptian Venus, by one 
of the late Ptolemies, and completed by the Caesars, 
remains almost in a perfect state. It has been 
thoroughly excavated, so that you may enter every 
apartment from ground to roof, as in the days of its 
youth. The temple is 220 feet long by 100 broad, and 
is approached by a dromos of 260 feet, before which 
is a pylon bearing the names of Domitian and Trajan. 
This building exhibits a striking instance of the impor- 
tance of Champollion's discovery. Former antiquarians 
had used this ruin as a proof against Bible chronology 
— boldly declaring that it boasted of an antiquity far 
antecedent to the biblical epoch of creation ; but 
Champollion blew their cobwebs to the wind when he 
read " the writing on the wall," and fixed its date at the 
beginning of the Christian era. Such a signal defeat 
should make us exceedingly wary in receiving the 
dogmas of infidel philosophers, whose enmity to re- 
ligion renders them capable of urging the most extra- 



THE TEMPLE. 



99 



vagant doctrines with a boldness that gives plausibility 
and begets belief. 

The grand portico of the temple is supported by 
twenty-four pillars, surmounted by heads of Athor as 
capitals, and bears the name of Tiberius in Greek, 
plainly visible from below, on its front. The carvings 
are most skilful, and in prodigious quantity. Within 
the farthest room is an enclosed chamber, or sanctum, 
like the structure within the church of the Holy 
Sepulchre at Jerusalem. This inner spot was the 
heart of the temple, and the abode of the goddess. Upon 
the external surface of the back wail is a carved por- 
trait of the famous Cleopatra, which, if a correct like- 
ness, proves rumour a flattering herald, or shows a 
wonderful difference between ancient and modern 



/// 




Ym. 1. 



3^ 



F% 2. 



o e o 

<t 9 j> 



Fig. 1. The entire field of ruins. 

Fig. 2. The main temple (on a larger scale), 



1. Temple of Athor, dromos and pylon. 

2. Temple of Isis, dromos and pylon. 

3. A building probably belonging to No. 1. 

4. Remnants of brick wall. 

5. Pylon and temple, very ruined. 



Grand portico 

Stairway. 

Sanctum. 

Pylon. 

Dromos. 



100 



THE TENTYRITES. 



standards of beauty. A winding stairway, with square 
corners, leads to the roof, where are the remnants of 
small chapel-like rooms. Besides this main building, 
there are other remains of Roman date, but of inferior 
interest, still existing on the site, not yet completely 
covered by the invading sand, The foregoing rude 
sketches will show their position, and give a general 
idea of the ground plan of the principal temple. 

On the ceiling of the portico of the great temple is 
the famous zodiac, which, before Champollion's inves- 
tigations, formed a bone of contention among the 
savans of Europe. Dendera or Tentyris, (supposed by 
Wilkinson to be derived from Tei-n-Athor^ the abode 
of Athor) though probably a town of Pharaonic anti- 
quity, yet must have reached its highest prosperity 
about the first century of the Christian era, when the 
massive temple was erected that now calls out the ad- 
miration of the traveller. The Tentyrites were great 
enemies of the crocodile, while the people of Kom 
Ombos paid it divine honours— hence arose endless 
feuds between these two parties. The more the Ten- 
tyrites persecuted the crocodiles, the more the Kom- 
Ombites prayed to their scaly gods, and their zeal of 
opposition waxed so hot, that Tentyris became a 
slaughter-house, and the good people of Kom Ombos 
almost wore their knees out in their worship. Then 
they took to blows upon each other— first the croco- 
dile-party would gain the day, and then the temples of 
Kom Ombos were filled with devout worshippers — then 
came success to the anti-crocodilers,and the Tentyrites 
would treat their captives on crocodile-steak. As in all 
religious controversies, neither side was converted, and 
the crocodiles had to stay up the river and keep a sharp 
look-out towards Dendera. Strabo relates that the Ten- 
tyrites were so fearless of their amphibious enemy, that 



CROCODILES IN OLD TIMES. 



101 



they would boldly swim amongst them, and adds, that 
the enterprising managers of the Zoological Gardens at 
Rome had imported some Tentyrites, with their croco- 
diles, in order to make out a more attractive bill. Land 
and water accommodation was afforded the Egyptian 
leviathans, in the shape of a duck-pond, and a wooden 
staging on the side ; and the Tentyrite performance 
consisted in pulling these monsters from one element 
to the other, with an ease perfectly astonishing to the 
Roman snobs. Poor Dendera ! how changed ! One 
crocodile could now dwell as undisturbed master of its 
temples and palaces — and I doubt not that many 
a grim old crocodile, well-informed in traditionary lore, 
thrusts his huge jaws out of water as he passes this 
desolate site, and shakes his stony features at its 
fallen glory, with all the sneering triumph of a satisfied 
revenge. 

On returning over the plain of " halfeh" to our boat, 
we met the Governor of the district, mounted, like the 
judges of Israel, on an ass, and possessed of a most 
benevolent and patriarchal countenance. The old 
Turk saluted us with a gracious " Sabal khayr" which 
we translated to him in a genuine Saxon Good morn- 
ing." 

After reaching the dahabiyeh, we paddled over to 
Kenneh in a small boat. This town is a mile away 
from the river, on a canal. It is the ancient Kaino- 
polis (New-town) and its present name is probably a 
corruption of that word. It has the same character 
with all Egyptian towns — quaint, dirty, and crowded. 
I here essayed the Turkish bath for the first time, and 
feel it due to my friends, as a survivor of the operation, 
to narrate my perilous experience. I entered a dull 
vault-like building, into which the light struggled 
through small windows in the roof, and throughout 
8 



102 



A TURKISH BATH. 



which floated an atmosphere of steam. In the first 
chamber I unrobed, upon an elevated divan, of doubt- 
ful purity, and thence proceeded, with one towel around 
my loins, another over my head and shoulders, and a 
pair of wooden pattens on my feet, through a passage 
of undisguised filth (so placed probably to enhance the 
luxury of purification), and passed the Tepidarium or 
" cooling-room" to the Caldarium, or " hot-house," The 
heat here was choking, and I felt my substance gradually 
melting away. The Arab guide laughed at my uneasi- 
ness, as I thought of the suffocation of the English prin- 
ces, sundry deaths from the fumes of charcoal, and other 
kindred subjects. But comforting myself with the 
knowledge that a man cannot die but once, I allowed 
myself to be seated on a very warm stone, and sub- 
mitted heroically to the manipulations of a lank Arab. 
First, he used his long black fingers, and rubbed me 
into a fearful state of nervousness. He then procured 
a hair-glove as an instrument of torture, and practised 
on me with the zeal of a groom with his curry-comb. 
This was nothing to the next step in the cleansing pro- 
cess. I was coolly (no, not coolly, but deliberately,) 
pitched into a stone trough of water, almost boiling, 
while a spout above poured forth the liquid still hotter, 
if possible, upon every portion of my persecuted frame 
that dared attempt an escape. This was too much. 
I vowed I would keep out of hot-water forever after, if 
once clear of this Tophet, and I felt the sincerest 
sympathy for Latimer and Ridley. I remembered, too, 
the injunctions of my childhood, not to get over-heated, 
but the penalty following such childish imprudence 
seemed nectar to me, and I fondly wished I might take 
cold as soon as possible. Released from my burning 
coffin, I was deluged with soap-suds till I looked a man 
of snow, but it was only appearance, I assure you, for 



ALMEH WOMEN. 



103 



to my glowing body, the few sun-beams that had forced 
their way through the vaporous atmosphere seemed to 
possess a coolness, so sadly were my perceptions 
askew. Then came bucket after bucket of the smoth- 
ering water upon my head — then I was plunged anew 
into the scorching trough, and then, O bliss ! I was 
transported (yea, it was transport) into the cooling- 
room, where, wrapped in sheets and towels, I was suf- 
fered to rest, but not before a huge Arab had pressed 
me from head to foot with his giant arms, and made 
every bone in my body crack with the pressure. A 
cup of coffee and a shebook were indubitable blessings, 
and I began to feel somewhat kind-hearted in spite of my 
late afflictions. A barber pared my nails, and trimmed 
my beard, and at length I dressed and quitted the estab- 
lishment, meditating on cleanliness and its inconveni- 
ences, and concluding that if a Turkish bath was the 
only method of its attainment, mankind would be fully 
justified in its neglect, and uncleanness would have 
become a virtue. I even looked with favour on the 
squalid beggar-boys, and wished to warn them against 
all hot-house methods of forcing a clean skin, for I felt 
keenly for them when I thought of the furnace of 
affliction that inevitably awaited their advancing years. 

While in Kenneh, I witnessed some dances of the 
Almeh women, and can only contradict the romantic 
accounts of some sentimental travellers by stamping 
the women as beastly specimens of female depravity, 
and their dances as graceless and disgusting. 

Leaving the town, we passed under the welcome 
shade of some fine trees that ornamented the road be- 
fore the factory, and thence along the dyke and over 
the sandy beach to the river. We had just started in 
the dahabiyeh, when we found some Kenneh sales- 
man had given Ibrahim some molasses for honey — and 



104 



FARSHOOT. 



so off goes Ibrahim again to cudgel the merchant and 
make him give " sweets for the sweet." Another two 
or three hours is added to our delay, and we leave 
Dendera at length at 7 P. M., instead of 11 in the 
morning, as intended. 

March 10. — To-day we've been contending with a 
violent head wind. We've crossed and recrossed the 
river, rowed to larboard and rowed to starboard, tried 
to pull and tried to tow, and spun around like a top? 
but all to no purpose. The Minaret of Hoo has pro- 
vokingly laughed at us all day, and I fancy the muez- 
zin relaxed his solemn countenance, as every time he 
reached his post on the turret he saw us laboring, as 
fruitlessly as the leopard, to change our spots. At 
sunset we fastened to the bank by the Farshoot fac- 
tories. We visited a factory on the bank, where a 
French superintendent very politely showed us through 
the different rooms, and explained the sugar-refining 
process as practised in Egypt. There are three facto- 
ries here, one being as yet unfinished ; in the others they 
both make and refine the sugar. The Frenchman was 
a regular gossip ; he talked indiscriminately of Europe 
and his garden, General Washington and -sugar, and 
concluded his agreeability by offering us some absinth 
and tomatoes, a refreshment as variegated as his con- 
versation. From the boat we saw a crowd collected 
around a defunct crocodile, which they were stuffing 
for preservation. Knots of Arabs were gathered for 
their evening's smoking and chat, and a few tar- 
bouched and slippered Frenchmen looked exceedingly 
comfortable under a leafy portico. 

March 11. — On rising, I found the boat gliding rapid- 
ly along the green sloping banks of Lower Farshoot, 
and we continued prosperously to Belliany, where we 
have halted for the night, in order to visit Abydus in 



UNPLEASANT TREATMENT. 



105 



the morning, this being the nearest point to that ruined 
city. A lovely palm grove ornaments the bank at our 
side. Taking the ladies, I made an excursion through 
the village. In the centre of the place we saw the 
governor and his assembled councillors smoking pro- 
fusely on an open divan. The usual amount of dogs 
and naked children adorned the dirty lanes. On our 
return to the boat, we stopped to look at a native 
sugar-factory, a rude shanty within a crude brick en- 
closure. Buffaloes turned a mill that resembled a cider- 
press, from which flowed the juice. Soon satisfied 
with a view of the advance of mechanical arts in Egypt, 
we turned to retire, when I observed a Nubian shut 
and lock the gate of the yard. I remarked the fact to 
Ibrahim, who accompanied me, but he thought me mis- 
taken. However, on reaching the door, my surmise 
was found correct. The Nubian refused to open the 
door unless " backsheesh " was forthcoming — and 
twenty rascals supported his demand. I had nothing 
but a club in my hands, and on threatening the black 
with a visit from it, he flung the key into some ashes, 
in order more effectually to prohibit our departure. It 
was growing night, and the ladies became greatly 
alarmed. Without suffering the scamps to obtain the 
first advantage, I pushed the Nubian after his key, and 
hauled him to the door. A general row ensued, when 
the gate was opened and we made a sortie. I took 
the ladies to the boat, procured my gun, and calling 
Ibrahim with me, marched off straightway to the gov- 
ernor's. He referred me to the agent of Kamil Pacha, 
who owned the factory, as possessing the sole juris- 
diction within its limits. I met this worthy in the 
street, a full-conditioned Turk, with a goodly quantity 
of liquor aboard. He hiccoughed all sorts of apolo- 
gies for the insult I had received, and vowed he'd have 



106 



SUMMARY PUNISHMENT. 



me revenged. I told him that revenge was not my 
motive in addressing him, but a desire to make the 
people of the country shy in injuring travellers, by 
filling them with respect for their power. He swore 
it was all the same in results, and took up as straight a 
line of march for the factory as his soaked system was 
capable of prosecuting. He burst on the astonished 
Nubian and his compeers like a thunder-clap, and in 
a twinkling the black rascal was roaring under the 
blows of the bastinado. The governor was determined 
to give him 300, but a compromise was effected for 
30. After the punishment had so rapidly succeeded 
the offence, (for the bastinado follows on the heel of 
crime,) I harangued the trembling offender on the ex- 
treme inconvenience attending upon the bad treatment 
of strangers, and then urged the rest to digest their 
comrade's case thoroughly before they followed his ex- 
ample. I left the factory, after thanking the guberna- 
torial agent and inviting him to our boat, fully believ- 
ing that the artisans of that establishment were under 
unspeakable obligations to me for delivering them from 
future bastinadoes by my warning lecture, accompanied 
by illustrations. 

Now, a Turkish officer never was guilty of doing 
his duty gratis ; and consequently, we had invited our 
red-faced friend to the boat to receive our thanks more 
formally by a substantial token. In about an hour, a 
slave came down the bank bearing a huge jar of sugar- 
juice as avant-courier of his excellency ; then another 
and another made their appearance, with stalks of sugar- 
cane as offerings of his most sincere friendship, which 
consisted of a strong desire for a transfer of property 
of some sort in his favour. At length came the Effendi 
himself, with a dignity entirely incommensurate with 
the contracted size of our dahabiyeh. We offered him 



GUBERNATORIAL DIGS IT Y. 



107 



a chair, and he tried to sit, but fidgeted himself down 
on the divan, where his bent-up limbs found more con- 
genial repose. He magnificently handled an offered 
pipe, and hurried through his coffee as if he had an 
eye on some ulterior blessing. We took the hint, and 
asked his Mohammedan excellency if he would have 
anything stronger as a beverage. He winked most 
pleasantly, and his looks spoke volumes against his be- 
lief in the abstinence of the Koran. Unfortunately we 
had nothing but rum on board, and so informed him. 
His eyes were brilliant as he told us confidingly that 
rum was just the thing. We offered him the article 
with some water, but he preferred " rum au naturel," 
and to our astonishment drained our entire stock. 
Discovering he had found the bottom of our hospitality, 
he most benignly received some powder as a mark of 
our high esteem, and bade us an affecting adieu, not, 
however, before promising us Arabian steeds of noblest 
breed and gloriously caparisoned for our morrow's ride 
to Abydus. Our official friend had by his visit post- 
poned our supper until our appetites had become unruly. 
His departure was the signal for immediate action, and 
the table was instantly furnished. But our haste was 
our hindrance, for the table gave way beneath our im- 
petuosity, and we were fully convinced of the truth of 
the instruction we had received as children, that china 
lay directly beneath our feet. Our cabin was a true 
Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, and we precipi- 
tately made Pisgahs of our divans. W e did not retire, 
however, before the wreck was removed, and we had 
acquired the contentment that follows an appeased ap- 
petite. 

March 12. — A Turk's promise is pure theory, and any 
attempt to reduce it to practice will only plunge the 
experimenter into a labyrinth of disasters equal to his, 



108 



EXCURSION" TO ABYDUS. 



who endeavors to square the circle. Of course, there- 
fore, our Arabian steeds were as phantom-like as a 
night-mare, and we were content to hire donkeys of 
ignoble breed, without even the ornamental utilities of 
stirrups, saddle, or bridle, whereby to visit the ruins 
of Abydus. I found some rope accoutrements of ques- 
tionable merit, and we performed our seven miles' trip 
to the foot of the Libyan Mountains in three hours, 
our long-eared chargers evidently having as little to do 
with fast-days as their irreligious masters. The plain 
was lovely with the verdant growth of peas, beans, 
wheat, barely, lentils, and clover. Here and there we 
passed the usual village scenes of hideous females, 
naked children, and barking dogs, when we reached 
Arabat el Matfoon (the buried Arabat), the village 
that now unworthily represents the fallen Abydus. 
About a quarter of a mile behind the village, and just 
within the bounds of the desert, are the principal re- 
mains of this great city, now nearly concealed by the 
accumulated sand. Abydus is said by Strabo to have 
been second to Thebes for size, though in his day it 
was a small village. He also mentions, as its principal 
glory, the Memnonium, which was a stone building re- 
sembling in interior the described arrangement of 
the labyrinth. He reports this to have been called in 
his day the work of Memnon, whom he thinks to be 
the same with Ismandes, who also erected some splen- 
did edifices at Thebes. He also mentions a temple of 
Osiris, in which no music was allowed. 

The two grand edifices now partially seen at Aby- 
dus, are of exceeding interest. Their roofs are on a 
level with the surrounding sand. It is discovered that 
they are the works of Osirei and Ramses the Great, and 
are probably the Memnonium and Temple of Osiris 
mentioned by Strabo. In that case, the Roman Mem- 



GIRGEH. 



109 



non would be the Egyptian Ramses — though it is proba- 
ble that the Romans gave the name of Memnon to seve- 
ral Egyptian kings whose reigns were little known. We 
crawled into the great temple, and looked at the fresh 
colours on the walls and the interesting carvings. The 
ceiling of a portion is formed of single stones, laid 
across and hollowed on the under side, to imitate an 
arch. It was in one of the chambers of the smaller 
temple that Mr. Bankes discovered, in 1818, the tablet 
containing a list of Egyptian monarchs who preceded 
Ramses the Great. Abydus is by some supposed to 
be the still more ancient This. It is finely situated 
in an alcove of the Libyan cliffs, the points of which 
are some four miles apart. It is well placed for de- 
fence, and that was probably a reason for its site, as 
well as to avoid taking up any of the tillable land, 
which was so valuable to a large population. West 
of the ruins runs the road to the Great Oasis over the 
Libyan hills — a steep, climbing path. Miss Martineau 
calls it an opening in the hills : it is as much an open- 
ing as a cat's track over a fence. We had to rest 
satisfied with looking at the merest fragments of Aby- 
dus, and trust to our imaginations for an idea of its 
old reality. It was very hot, and we were glad to ex- 
change the burning sand for the coolness of a sweet 
green palm grove, where we sat ourselves comfortably 
to a primitive luncheon. By one o'clock we were 
back at our boat, and soon pushed off into the stream. 
In four hours and a half we reached Girgeh, its mina- 
rets and palms showing well from its high position. 
We here stopped two hours, and shopped in the ba- 
zaars. We are now off again for Achmim. 

March 13. — Visited Achmim, the ancient Chem- 
mis or Panopolis, which Strabo speaks of as a town 
of workers in linen and stone. What connexion there 



110 



DANGERS OF THE NILE. 



was between the trades I can't conceive. The modern 
town is of the usual Egyptian type. The ancient 
remains are found behind the town. Those of the 
supposed Temple of Perseus lie in a palmy hollow, and 
consist of huge stones in confused groups. I saw two 
with a carved work of united stars upon them, as if 
they had been portions of a roof. Another fragment 
had two hieroglyphical ovals. West of these I saw 
the large stone mentioned by Wilkinson. With a 
crowd of Arabs brimful of curiosity gathered about 
me, I took down the inscription of Trajan. It marks 
the date of the edifice to which it belonged to be the 
twelfth year of the reign of Trajan. It would be as 
easy to build a seventy-four from a gooseberry-bush 
as to arrange any theory of these structures from the 
slender remains that lie scattered behind Achmim. 
We must here, as in many other places, be contented 
with the wildest guesses. To-night our rais has beg- 
ged me to be ready against attack, as he knows this 
part of the river to be well stocked with robbers. 
Whether he be a coward or a cheat i know not, but 
I have no question the Nile is as devoid of danger as 
the Hudson, unless it holds true here that " delays are 
dangerous." If so, a Nile voyage is a risky affair. 
To be sure, if I had a tendency to encourage romantic 
ideas of robbery and murder, this would be a good 
place. The grim cliffs of Gebel Sheikh Hereedee 
frown down gloomily in the twilight. Two suspicious 
looking craft are a short distance ahead of us, and the 
place is wretchedly lonely. But I could scare up the 
same ghosts on the Hudson. 

March 15. — The river at one point, yesterday (be- 
tween Gow and Abooteg), was so narrow that I could 
nearly cast a stone across. Of course the stream was 
very rapid at this point. Near Motmar our eyes 



EGYPTIAN TRICKERY. 



Ill 



were regaled by the loveliest groves of acacia, almost 
too tempting to allow our passing them unvi sited. 
The days are hot and the nights cool, and the changes 
of temperature I have noticed as great as in New 
York. The thermometer, one day at 96°, has fallen 
the next to 70°, and the wind has proved as changea- 
ble as the weather, utterly laughing at the story of the 
steady character of iEolus in Egypt. The fellahin are 
now harvesting their barley, but the wheat has not 
changed colour. This reminds us of the plague of hail, 
by which the barley was smitten, for it was in the 
ear ; but the wheat was not smitten, for it was not 
grown up (Exodus ix., 31, 32), the relative advance- 
ment of the two crops being the same now as in the 
time of Moses. 

At Thebes one of our Nubian sailors had thrown up 
his commission in our service, without the usual eti- 
quette considered necessary on such occasions ; and on 
our downward voyage another oarsman had pursued 
the same independent system, or rather lack of system, 
thus leaving us unexpectedly in the condition of the 
famous Master Nellis of the Museums, viz., minus two 
hands. We had ordered our rais to supply the vacan- 
cies, according to contract, but that smooth-faced 
commander manifestly saw better policy in saving the 
wages of two sailors than in conforming to the terms 
of a contract. Our plausible friend was not rude, how- 
ever, in his obstinacy. By no means. He exhibited 
the graces of a Chesterfield, and clothed his total 
dissent from our conclusions with all the flattering 
drapery of full agreement. He assured us of results, 
to prevent which was his decided aim, and he issued 
promises with all the benevolent zeal of a broken 
bank. But promises, good in their place, are of little 
value as a propelling power in things purely material, 



112 



A CRISIS. 



and we grew impatient. Village after village, each.the 
expected source of our recuperated energy, was passed, 
and still the two oars dragged neglected by the vessel's 
side. The interest was fast accumulating on the 
promissory notes of the rais, and at length I threat- 
ened the oily-tongued worthy with an application of 
the usual Egyptian method of arranging such debts. 
I summoned him to the poop, and there held a very 
stem manner of speech. I reminded him that one 
Lattif Bey, the Governor of Upper Egypt, dwelt at 
Siout, which place lay not far distant. I further as- 
sured him that the said Lattif added to his other 
Oriental accomplishments a singular proficiency in 
managing the bastinado. I lastly introduced, as a 
relevant subject, the necessity of procuring our com- 
plement of crew, at Siout, and then dismissed him to 
study at his leisure the inter-relations of the various 
parts of my discourse. 

Well, we arrived at Siout yesterday at 5 P. M. I 
rode up to the town and took a last look at its bazaars, 
and then regained the boat in so weary a frame, that 
I soon dropped asleep in the cabin. On waking, I 
discovered we had left Siout and were floating down 
the river. Hastening to the deck, I found we were 
some five miles below the town, and the easy rais was 
about mooring the boat for the night at the petty vil- 
lage of Welladiyeh. The men had rested six hours 
during the day, and now a drift current was assisting 
our progress. Of course, I forbade all thoughts of so 
early a stoppage, it being only 9 o'clock. But another 
look altered my determination. The vacancies were 
still unfilled. I permitted the halt and we were soon 
fastened to the bank. " Now, rais," cried I, 44 put on 
your walking gear, and I'll join you in a promenade." 
The fellow was thrown off his equilibrium. The night 



SIOUT BY MIDNIGHT. 113 

was dark, and what could I meam " Where would you 
go, Hawagee ?" " To Siout — be quick," was my 
reply. A good hoax, thought the Nubian, and he 
smilingly donned his outer robe. Ibrahim and Hassa- 
nein each procured a lantern. I threw my double- 
barrel over my shoulder, and, joined by the rais, we 
gained the bank. As aforesaid, it was a night of literal 
Egyptian darkness, and Siout was five miles distant. * 
We followed the river-side, stumbling, in spite of lan- 
terns, into ditches and over stumps innumerable. The 
rais suddenly struck an idea : it was no hoax, and he was 
actually on the way to see Lattif Bey. His countenance 
fell. A paleness even gleamed through his swarthy 
skin, and he trembled like an autumn leaf. Placing him 
between Ibrahim and Hassanein, I led on more rapidly, 
passed the quiet hamlet of Hamra, the port of Siout, 
and then struck westward from the river to reach the 
town. 

In a little more than an hour from the boat, we were 
before the gate. What an odd scene ! The capital 
city of Upper Egypt was as silent as a farm-house at 
midnight — as motionless and apparently as lifeless as 
ruined Thebes. 

Our flickering lamps just served to lighten the old 
gate, and make the gloom of night oppressive. We 
hammered stoutly at the portal, but our own breathing, 
or a rustle among the trees, was the only experience of 
our tympana. Another rap, and a hoarse growl from a 
roused dog gave answer. Still another, and the growl 
became a bark, which found its echo everywhere, till 
all the canine voices of Siout were lifted in chorus. 
This concert stirred the slumbering porter, and a voice 
half grufT and half terrified was heard from within. 
" Who, in the name of Allah and the blessed Moham- 



114 



TREACHEROUS PILOTAGE. 



med, creates such infernal din ?" " Eftah (open) — ef- 
tah," we impatiently cried in a commanding tone. At 
this sesame the bars were taken down, the bolts drawn 
back, and the astounded Moslem opened the gate suffi- 
ciently to squint at his visiters. We interrupted his 
reconnoitre, and, dashing him back, stalked into the 
town. Turning to the amazed Cerberus, I ordered 
♦ him to conduct us straightway to the Palace of Lattif 
Bey. No sooner had he heard the Governor's name, 
than he girded up his loins and le.d us hastily through 
the winding lanes. We stepped over snoring Arabs, 
lying like bales of goods in the narrow ways, and here 
and there encountered a foxy dog, bolder in bark than 
bite. Still the city slumbered as if in death. As we 
passed on, the trembling rais reached the side of our 
new-found guide, and my suspicions were excited. I 
ordered him to fall back, and we continued our mid- 
night tramp. We turned a hundred corners, roused the 
porters of the door-like gates that shut in the different 
quarters of the city, ascended and descended until my 
feet sank beneath me. I smelt a trick. " Where is 
Lattif Bey ?" I thundered, when down we went after our 
ragged leader into a forlorn cellar of insufferable stench, 
as dark and dirty as a harpy's cavern. " What's all 
this ?" I cried in exasperation. " The palace of 
Lattif Bey," coolly replied the villain. The bribe of 
the rais had operated. I leaped forward, and grasping 
the miscreant porter by the throat, flung him into a 
corner and placed the muzzle of my gun at his head. 
I knew not how many confederates he might have in 
the vicinity, but I did know that now was high time for 
decisive measures. With my gun at his head, the ras- 
cal squealed apologies, and again I set him on the 
track. My two barrels had converted him effectually, 



« 



LATTIF BEY. 115 

and, leaving the filthy cellar, we soon reached the court 
of the Governor's residence. But a new difficulty 
arose. Slaves on tiptoe came down to us and whis- 
pered that the mighty satrap of Upper Egypt was busy 
in dreams, that he was a dreadful personage, and that 
the man's head was doomed who should dare awakehim. 

I entreated, urged, commanded — but in vain. At 
length, Ibrahim offered to make the hazardous expe- 
riment ; but he was my sight-hand man and I dared not 
risk him in the peril. I made a virtue of necessity, and 
turning to the rais, who was almost lifeless with fear, 
dispensed to him my full forgiveness of his faults, on 
condition that the next morning should witness our 
restored complement of boat-equipage. Should this 
condition be neglected, I assured him, I should then 
persevere in cementing an intimacy between himself 
and Lattif Bey. The rejoicing captain fell at my feet, 
kissed my hands convulsively, and blessed the prophet. 
Meantime our guide had attempted to make off, fearing 
the effects of my indignation ; but I had ordered Has- 
sanein to stand guard over the reprobate, and we now 
issued from the gubernatorial hall, requesting him to 
show us the nearest route to Welladiyeh, where our 
boat was moored. He objected, and I urged him with 
the same argument I had used in the cellar. I planted 
the muzzle between his shoulder-blades, and told him 
the moment he stopped I would shoot. He hobbled on 
in trepidation, ever and anon casting his eyes over his 
shoulder, to judge of my hostile intentions, and his 
chances of escape. The poor fellow felt the muzzle 
of the gun, and pushed on, consenting to his doom, only 
asking in subdued tone that his " backsheesh" might be 
remembered. He drew comfort from the assurance 
that we should faithfully render him his deserts, and 
clenched his fingers around the imaginary piastres. 



116 



THE END OF THE ADVENTURE. 



We returned by a different route to the village, more 
direct but less evident, over fields of grain and under 
groves of dark acacias. At length we reached the bank, 
and leaped aboard the dahabiyeh. Abdallah, the guide, 
who had stood aside to let me enter the boat, was at 
my heels. It was now my turn. " What, in the name 
of Mohammed, do you want ?" " Backsheesh, ya 
Hawagee." " Backsheesh !" roared I in mock drama- 
tic. " Off! imshee ! away wilh your villany !" 

But the Egyptian moved not. The craving after the 
piastres was a more powerful influence than my sten- 
torian ejaculations in broken Arabic. He remained 
rooted to the spot, whining out his redundant theme, 
till I feared an experience similar to that of Sinbad with 
the old man was waiting me. But I remembered the 
cellar, and raised my gun — the charm was broken, and 
Abdallah was over the side of the boat in a twink- 
ling. Here our intimacy ceased. I retired to the cabin, 
and slept soundly after the long march. 

This morning we have a full crew. 

The rais now beholds me in a different light. I am 
looked upon with marked respect as able to enforce my 
orders, and my least command is obeyed with an 
alacrity as pleasing as it is novel. This decided action 
is the only means of managing an Egyptian. Per- 
suasion is valueless, unless it has a silver lining, and 
then it is a hurtful method of success. Let your lenity 
be tempered with decision, so that it wear not the 
aspect of impotency, and a Nile sailor is your humble 
servant to command. 

We halted at Manfaloot, to-day, for an hour. Like 
some enthusiastic travellers, it has almost been carried 
away by the Nile. It is a forlorn town, just ready to 
drop away into the river. I went with Ibrahim to 
supply our kitchen from the bazaars. He was an 



GEBEL ABOOFODA. 



117 



original at a purchase. He would take up an article 
and fling down what he considered an equivalent, and 
march off, leaving the huckster using unavailing 
shouts of protestation, but afraid to abandon his re- 
maining wares in pursuit of his unsatisfactory cus- 
tomer. 

Passing the high wall-like cliffs of Gebel Aboofoda, 
that abound in caverns, and show plainly the mark of 
the height of the river in the inundation, we have 
stopped opposite Tel el Amarna. 



€i)t m\t. 



ANTINOE—BENI-HASSAN—DASHOOR— MEMPHIS— LAST GLANCES AT 

CAIRO. 

March 16. — An interesting day. Our first halt was 
at Dayr es Nakhl. Leaving the boat, we had a scorch- 
ing hot tramp of two and a half miles, over field and 
desert, to the foot of the hills behind the village and 
convent. Climbing the north side of a deep ravine, we 
found numerous excavated tombs — among them the 
one for which we were searching. It is near the sum- 
mit of the hill, and has the remains of an entrance 
adorned with fine hieroglyphics. Entering, we found 
a room about twenty feet square, with a niche in the 
farther wall, where probably the corpse was placed. 
Much of the south wall had been destroyed by the 
Turks, and the entrance was in like condition. The 
ceiling had a fearful rent from corner to corner. This 
ceiling was finely ornamented with gold-coloured stars, 
with a string of hieroglyphics dividing it into two parts. 
The great attraction of the tomb is an excellent paint- 
ing of a Colossus upon a sledge, being drawn to the 
place of its permanent location. The picture of the 
Colossus is about three feet high. It is a seated statue, 
and represented as bound to the sledge by several 
stout ropes, which are tightened by an inserted stick, 

* 



COLOSSUS ON A SLEDGE. 



119 



as in the handle of a wooden saw. Four rows of men, 
numbering in all 172, are pulling by four ropes con- 
nected with the sledge, the head man of each row 
carrying the rope upon his shoulder, but the rest bear- 
ing it by their side. One man in front is offering 
incense to the statue— another, standing on its knees, 
is clapping his hands in time, to enable the men to 
pull simultaneously, — and a third, stationed in the front 
of the sledge, is pouring grease upon the track to ease 
the labour. Below are seen servants bearing water for 
the refreshment of the workmen. All the men appeared 
black, except the incense offerer. The date of this 
painting is placed by Wilkinson (from an interpretation 
of the hieroglyphics) in the reign of Osirtasen IL, 
about 1650 B. C, during Joseph's abode in Egypt. 
The name of the occupant of the tomb is recorded — - 
Thoth-otp. This painting is a clear testimony of the 
manner in which the wonderful Colossi of Egypt were 
moved, and sets at rest all speculation on the subject. 
It is a whole volume in itself, and one of the most in- 
teresting and instructive remains of ancient Egypt. No 
traveller on the Nile should leave this tomb unseen, 
and yet I believe that very few ever take the trouble 
to make the tedious walk necessary to reach the spot. 
The height of the painted Colossus being about four 
times the height of the men, would make the real 
image nearly twenty-four feet in stature. The colours 
have the freshness of a work of yesterday — so gentle 
are the hands of Time in this delicious climate. The 
view from the entrance of the tomb was grand. Be- 
yond the Nile were the towns of Mellawee and 
Reramoon ; farther down was Rauda and its sugar-fac- 
tories. On this side were Dayr es Nakhl, and other 
villages, below the hills, — the beautiful valley stretched 
north and south, and at our side a dreary ravine of 



120 AXTIXOE. 

rock, honey- combed with caverns, ran among the hills, 
resembling (as Ibrahim says) the grim defiles of Petra. 
Our second halt was at the Tillage of Sheikh Abadeh. 
Here are the ruins of Adrian's city of " Antinoe." 
From Dion Cassius (himself a Bithynian) we learn that 
Adrian was greatly attached to a Bithynian youth 
named xlntinous, who accompanied him in his Egyp- 
tian tour. Adrian, having consulted the celebrated 
oracle of Besa, was informed that a great danger 
threatened him, and could only be averted by the 
death of one much beloved. At this, Antinous flung 
himself into the Nile as the desired offering, and 
Adrian caused to be erected opposite the place of his 
death the city that bore the name of the youth. Its 
theatre, its hippodrome, and its quadrivium, are still 
seen, the first two without and the last within the 
modern village of Sheikh Abadeh. The columns stand 
oddly in the centre of a dirty Arab village. They do 
not show any great beauty, yet testify to the impor- 
tance of the ancient town. It is probable that the 
ancient streets were porticoed to shield the pedestrian 
from the sun's rays, — the remnants of columns would 
lead to this belief. An immense sycamore, that one 
might imagine coeval with the ancient city, stands 
upon the river's bank. We gladly sought its shade, 
and felt an agreeable coolness in this shelter, though 
even here the mercury (Fahr.) was" at 96 deg. 

Our third halt was at Beni Hassan. Here thirty or 
forty tombs are cut in" the side of the cliffs that face 
the river ; the ascent is by the inclined planes that 
their ancient framers caused to be made as roads to 
their lofty sepulchres. I visited nearly all these highly 
interesting remains. Their antiquity is indisputable. 
The eyes of Joseph were doubtless often turned in 
admiration at this majestically-situated cemetery, — 



BENI HASSAN. 121 

and perhaps he himself had attended the long proces- 
sion that followed some noble to his last earthly habi- 
tation in this hollowed cliff. Some of the richest illus- 
trations of ancient Egyptian life have been found here, 
and unknown authors have, by their speaking delinea- 
tions on these solemn walls, formed an enduring his- 
tory of their times. The most northern two of the 
tombs are of greatest interest. All sorts of trades and 
amusements are pictured ; scenes in agriculture and 
the chase, and the solemn rites of religion ; a hundred 
wrestlers in different postures ; harpers ; nets ; fruits, 
and all the objects of every-day life. 

In the second tomb is the famous painting supposed 
by some to represent Joseph and his brethren. But 
every internal evidence is against this. Above all, the 
person supposed to be Joseph, to whom the offerings 
are made by his so-called brethren, is evidently the 
proprietor of the tomb ; and Joseph, we know, had his 
sepulchre in Canaan. Still, the painting is of intense 
interest, and has undoubted reference to some tribes 
east of Egypt. Several of the tombs have beautiful 
columns, representing, I suppose, the lotus in bud. 




Others have three aisles, separated by two rows of 



122 DORIC COLUMNS. 

columns which we call Doric, but which were here 
erected hundreds of years before Doris had its name, 
unless we believe these columns to have been origi- 
nally square, and altered to their present shape by the 
Greeks. Each tomb has a pit for the body, and seve- 
ral have a niche and statues. In many tombs are 
Greek scribblings, written by the gossiping travelling 
gentry of twenty centuries ago. The view from the 
ledge of rock before the tombs is magnificent, compris- 
ing the old scenery, — the silver Nile winding through 
its green valley. The minarets of Minyeh could be 
seen on the extreme right. Soon after reaching our 
boat, another dahabiyeh passed, and, in its rapid 
course, gave us a fleeting vision of the American flag. 
It was an American on his way to Thebes, but his 
name we were unable to learn. 

March 17. — Stopped at Minyeh two hours. We 
lounged in a few cafes having fronts gayly daubed 
with representations of nondescript animals and un- 
earthly plants, bargained with some Greek renegades 
for provision, and were off. After leaving Minyeh, a 
violent north wind arose, and we were forced to lie 
near the village of Gebel e' Tayr, where I have been 
practising medicine, and have created already a fame 
that would make a country doctor's eyes glisten. 
Ophthalmia has been the chief subject of my medicinal 
management, and a whole village has turned out to be 
doctored. Having plenty of water with which to refill 
my emptied bottles, I gave lavish doses, and performed 
as wonderful cures as ever are heralded in huge capi- 
tals on the pages of a puffing journal. Another Ameri- 
can hailed us to-day, in passing upward ; we began to 
feel that Egypt was entirely too common a road for 
travellers, and to turn our thoughts to the desert as 
more becoming. We must go to Mount Sinai before 



SITTEII MARIAM EL ADRA. 



123 



a railroad is built. We are now in the neighbourhood 
of the convent whose Christian inhabitants gave us so 
kind a visit on our way to Thebes. Curzon gives an 
amusing account of his excursion to this monastery. 
After toiling up the cliffs by means of a fissure, he 
found the building of square shape, about two hun- 
dred feet being the length of each side, and the walls 
having a height of twenty feet. It had been originally 
built of small square stones, but having fallen into 
decay, had been repaired with mud and sunburnt 
bricks. He entered by a low doorway, and found 
himself in a sort of barnyard — men, women, hens, and 
a large dog were all vociferous at sight of the stran- 
ger ; the abbot, who had hitherto been strangely defi- 
cient in clothing, now leading the way to the church. 
A crowd followed them, who told Mr. Curzon that the 
monastery was founded by a rich lady named Halane, 
who was the daughter of a certain Kostandi, king of 
Roum. They by this, of course, referred to the con- 
vent-crazy St. Helena, mother (not daughter) of Con- 
stantine. The church is partly subterranean, and is 
covered by a flat roof of palm-trunks. The height of 
the interior is about twenty-five feet. Mr. Curzon also 
mentions the general arrangement of the church to be 
that of a Latin basilica — and this form, we know, was 
originally adopted from the Roman halls of court — 
often those very buildings having been converted into 
churches. This convent is a good sample of the many 
Coptic institutions of the same sort in Egypt. They 
have become more like villages than monastic edifices, 
being littered up with all sexes, ages, and domestic 
animals. 

March 18. — To-day the convent sent its usual em- 
bassy, having profited nothing by our good counsel 
when ascending the river. 



124 



NOVEL FERRIAGE. 



March 22. — A violent head wind has for four days 
baffled us, and we have only made Benisooef to-day, 
eighty-two miles from Minyeh. We have passed the 
time in short excursions, shooting Nile fowl, watching 
the peculiar habits of the fellahin, and planning for our 

future journey. Before arriving at Benisooef, C 

and I, with Ibrahim, left the boat in order to reach 
the town earlier and have our purchases ready, to 
avoid delay. Benisooef 's minarets were ahead, and 
we made for them in direct line, as in a steeple-chase. 
We had not gone far, when an arm of the river, some 
thirty feet wide, stopped our progress. Ibrahim pro- 
posed carrying us over the shallow, but the mud ap- 
pearing very soft, and Ibrahim being but slightly built, 
I preferred taking off shoes and stockings and wading 
over. After repeated efforts, wherein I fully tested 
the yielding properties of mud and the moistening 
qualities of water, I at last reached the other side, 
shook myself off like a water-dog after his swim, and 

sat myself coolly down to watch C and Ibrahim. 

C mounted Ibrahim's shoulders, thus avoiding the 

trouble of removing any of his apparel. Foot-deep, 
ankle-deep, knee-deep, came poor floundering Ibrahim, 
and C drew himself higher on his bearer's shoul- 
ders as the water made nearer approximation. A mo- 
ment of hesitation, and back they puffed to the shore. 
Here they spent five minutes in anxious contemplation. 
I was fearful of disappointment, for I was already 
laughing internally at an imaginary catastrophe, and 
therefore hallooed in encouragement. Again was 

C mounted, and with resolute courage Ibrahim 

again essayed the task. Foot-deep, ankle-deep, knee- 
deep again ; but what of that ? on they come — when 
Ibrahim appears to totter ; C is fairly on his car- 
rier's head — a fearful lurch and over they go on all 



MAHMOUD EFFENDI. 



125 



fours. A succession of plunges to recover their pris- 
tine condition is fruitless, and they splash manfully for 

the shore ; C comes out on my side, but Ibrahim 

has regained the point whence he set out. I comfort 
my dripping friend by showing him my dry clothes, 
and comment kindly on the advantages of getting over 
difficulties on another's shoulders Poor Ibrahim had 
now become perfectly desperate, and rushed wildly 
into the slough, dashed spitefully through stream and 
mire, and wrung himself out by our side. At length 
we reached Benisooef, and to our surprise a steamer 
was at the bank. We discovered it was carrying a 
relative on a trip to Thebes — so odd are some of the 
incidents of travel. 

March 24. — Two more sorry days, in which we 
have made about fifteen miles progress. However, 
we have taken the opportunity to ramble ever the 
bister-coloured Arabian hills, and collect curious spe- 
cimens of their geological structure. We have chased 
jackals, and roused hawks and eagles from their eyries. 
Seeing a white, aristocratic-looking building in the 
distance, we walked to it and found it the residence 
of one Mahmoud Effendi, an agent of Hassan Bey, the 
great land proprietor hereabouts. There was a fine 
garden in front, stocked with mulberry trees and grape 
vines, a PItalienne, as if the possessor had seen things 
European in his day. We were politely shown every- 
thing by an attache of the establishment. Figs and 
oranges grew luxuriantly in the ornamented garden, 
which was well watered by noble sakias. The stables 
particularly attracted our attention : they stood around 
a huge hypaethral quadrangle 200 feet square. 

March 26. — We have reached Masgoon, a sweet 
palm grove, from which we to-morrow make the ex- 
cursion to the pyramids of Dashoor and Saccara. In 



126 



DASHOOE. 



the grove are tethered camels, horses, donkeys, and 
buffaloes, brought from the upper country, and on their 
way for sale at the great fair of Tanta in the Delta. 
At Tanta is buried a great Moslem saint, Said Ahmet 
el Bedowee, and at his tomb are held two celebrated 
fetes every year, to which all Egypt flocks as to a 
domestic Mecca. From the inland side of the palm 
grove, we looked over the sand upon thirteen pyra- 
mids, the most prominent being the two great stone 
pyramids of Dashoor. 

March 27. — At 8 A. M. we set off on bridleless, 
stirrupless donkeys, with the mercury at 90 degrees in 
the shade. After reaching the limit of cultivated 
land and passing the paltry village of Dashoor, we had 
two miles of hot sand-hills and sand-plains to the most 
southern pyramid. This structure is of peculiar form, 
the angle of inclination of its sides receiving a great 
diminution about half-way to the apex. Its height is 
probably three hundred and forty feet, and its base about 
seven hundred. 



It strikes the beholder with almost as much awe as 
the great pyramid of Ghizeh, Wilkinson supposes the 
want of uniformity in the planes of the sides is owing" 
to a desire to complete the fabric sooner. Probably 
the funds gave out, and they made a virtue of necessity 
by giving the structure an original form. By its south 
side is a small stone pyramid about one hundred feet 
high. The other large stone pyramid is of the regular 




BRICK PYRAMIDS. 



127 



form, and of about the same dimensions as the one 
described. 

We rode over the plain a mile to the eastward, to 
examine one of the two brick pyramids. At a distance, 
it appears to be a fantastically-shaped mass of dark 
rich soil rising above the plain, but as you approach, 
you perceive it to be the misshapen ruins of a pyramid 
of unburnt brick. Only one hundred and fifty feet of 
height remain, though we have reason to suppose the 
original structure was one hundred feet higher. It must 
have been a sorry affair even in its glory, when com- 
pared with its stone neighbours. The time of erection of 
this pyramid is involved in obscurity. I venture a 
rude sketch of its ruder appearance, when the reader 
will see how little claim it now has to the name of 
pyramid. 




The other brick pyramid has similar characteristics 
but is considerably less in its present remains. The 
heat was aftnost intolerable as we left the desert for the 
green plain again, and took our way over fields spark- 
ling with beautiful flowers to and through the village of 
Saccara. Then through a palm-grove, where we met 
some strolling Bedawin, to the desert again — and up 
the low sand ridge to the large pyramid of Saccara. 
This is built in terraces and is surrounded by a sacred 
enclosure, 1750 by 950 feet. 

Whether these terraces were so originally formed, 



128 



SACCARA 



or whether they were produced by the removal of 
stones in later ages, is uncertain. I thought I could 
trace remnants of smaller terraces intervening between 
the larger ; if so, I should suppose the original edifice 
had this peculiarity. The regularity of the terraces 
is also against the probability of its having suffered 
change. 




\ 



I found the platform on top oblong, being twice 
as long E. and W. as N. and S. The entrance to the 
interior is now entirely blocked up with sand. From 
the summit I counted twenty-five pyramids ; four at 
Dashoor — four at Saccara — five between these groups 
— three at Abooseer, and nine at Ghizeh. A great 
object of interest at Saccara is the mummy settlement. 
Vast catacombs have been here discovered full of mum- 
mied oxen, sheep, snakes, ibises, and men. The ibis 
pits are in a hot sandy basin or wady, a quarter of an 
hour north of the great Saccara pyramid. We were 
obliged to crawl in on hands and knees, and in some 
places drag ourselves snake-like along the dark pass- 
ages, our hands clutching fragments of mummies, jars, 
and rags at every grasp. We so came to an apartment 
piled high with earthen pots. We broke open many, 
and found the preserved ibises rather the worse for 
damp, being reduced mostly to a black powder. Crawl- 
ing out of this highly fragrant region, we passed over a 
plain of mummied remains of all descriptions to the 



MEMPHIS. 



129 



edge of the hills, where we entered a finely painted and 
sculptured tomb of the time of Psammaticus II., 600 
years B. C. The roof is an arch. 

The whole region from Dashoor to Ghizeh, a dis- 
tance of fourteen miles, was the great cemetery of 
Memphis, and the pyramids are merely tomb-stones 
over sundry graves in this grave-yard. Memphis lay 
between this necropolis and the river. To the remains 
of Memphis we now directed our steps. These re- 
mains are but a few mounds about the village of Mitra- 
henny, and a huge Colossus of Ramses II. prostrate, 
with its fine face kissing the earth. Add a few frag- 
ments of breccia, and you have Memphis in 1849. 
These remnants are situated among smiling green fields 
and graceful palm-groves. 

We met our boat at Bedreshayn, after a very 
fatiguing trip of eight hours. The minarets of Cairo 
are in sight, and we feel towards it as towards a home. 

On March 28 we reached Cairo, having consumed 
forty-two and a half days in our Nile expedition. 

The ensuing twelve days which we spent in Cairo 
were much employed in preparing for our desert-journey. 
Ibrahim had brought to me old Besharah, the Bedawee 
Sheikh of the Towarah, whose name is known to Ame- 
ricans as the Sheikh of Dr. Robinson's party. Besharah 
embraced me with the apparent affection of a long-tried 
friend, kissing me vehemently on both cheeks. Not- 
withstanding his eye to the profit of an acquaintance, 
I have no doubt the wily Sheikh had some good feeling 
in his breast. After a thorough experience of Beshar- 
ah's Sheikhship, and a full examination of his character, 
I must award him some good traits of disposition. 
He is kind-hearted and docile, and a real friend 
to the Frank traveller — yet justice requires me to 
say, that he is an arrant beggar, and an old granny. 



130 



A BEDAWEE SHEIKH. 



Several Bedawin sheikhs had applied to carry us over 
the desert, but we had preferred Besharah, from his 
knowledge of the wants of Franks, and his conceded 
experience. The season was late for a desert trip, and 
it was with great anxiety I thought of the expedition. 
I especially feared for the ladies, having an unformed 
notion of the perils and difficulties of the route for 
females to undertake. In our designed tour to Sinai, 
Akabah, and Petra, we would be at least a month 
among Bedawin, and exposed to the extreme heat of 
the desert. Many friends in Cairo called our project 
folly, and even experienced travellers told us we could 
form no conception of the heat we were to encounter. 
This was all bitters to my palate. I had left America 
chiefly to see the desert and the Promised Land, and 
now should I abandon the design when I was upon the 
threshold of its enjoyment ? The ladies were perfectly 
willing to go, and I decided accordingly. Ibrahim pro- 
cured a new cook (for Hassanein had left us) and a 
third servant to assist. I set all three immediately to 
work in procuring stores for the journey, and all the 
tent and travelling apparatus necessary. Besharah 
was to have his camels all in readiness on the 7th of 
April, and then we should taste desert-life for the first 
time. Meantime we saw more and more of Cairo, 
made valuable acquaintances of fellow-travellers, and 
became more intimate with Oriental life. 

We visited the Nilometer on the Island of Roda. It 
is a square well, in the centre of which is a stone 
pillar, graduated to mark the height of the river, which 
has access to this pit. It was built (it is said) long 
before the foundation of Cairo, by Mamoon, son of the 
celebrated Haroun e' Rasheed. The alluvion deposited 
by the river has covered the bottom of the well to a 
considerable depth, and the whole affair presents the 



RODA. 



131< 



decaying, melancholy appearance of everything Ori- 
ental. 

The gardens of Roda are pleasant promenades, kept 
in order by a Scotch gardener, who finds a great enemy 
in the Nile, which overflows all his parterres every 
year, and puts him in the condition of Penelope in the 
morning, with all the labour to be again wrought. 
However, the rich deposit of the unruly river compen- 
sates for its destructive propensities, and flowers and 
fruits wear a luxuriant aspect in the gardens of Roda. 
Ibrahim Pacha was the proprietor of these amphibious 
acres, though they probably now belong to his nephew- 
Abbas, the reigning Pacha. The said Abbas had re- 
turned from Constantinople, rich in the invested dignity 
of the viceroyalty, and we frequently saw him riding 
out in a beautiful English chariot, accompanied by the 
high personages of his court. His looks are not at all 
prepossessing, and report says badly of his character. 
Everybody speaks of Ibrahim Pacha's death as caused 
by poison administered at Constantinople, and Abbas 
Pacha is said to be under like treatment. If so, the 
reason may be to destroy the whole family of Moham- 
med Ali, to whom the viceregal crown of Egypt is en- 
tailed, and make the throne free again to the chosen 
deputy of the Sultan. But as the old Mohammed has 
a goodly host of descendants, the work of their de- 
struction will prove rather tedious and difficult even 
for a Turkish sultan. But before anything of this kind 
can occur, England will probably be quietly resting her 
paws on the Nile valley, and Sultan and Pacha be alike 
worthy subjects of European sovereignty. Then 
steamboats will be crowding the astonished Nile from 
the cataracts to the sea — railways will conduct the 
traveller to the Oases and Abyssinia — and where the 
children of Israel crossed the Red Sea dry-shod, we '11 



132 



MEMLOOK TOMBS. 



do the same — on a bridge. The Moslem power is 
rapidly waning; its destiny is accomplished; it will 
find its grave in the energetic spirit of the age ; or 
rather, assimilated to the genius of modern improve- 
ment, it will give additional impetus to the onward 
course of an enlightened civilization,- — a civilization 
before which all the boasted attainments of antiquity 
pale to disappearing. 

The tombs of the Circassian Memlooks, though in 
a condition of decay, are among the principal objects 
of interest about Cairo. These tombs have the dimen- 
sions and appearance of mosques. They form a fine 
cluster of buildings just out of the city, to the north- 
east. Like most Egyptian places of burial, both 
ancient and modern, they are appropriately situated 
on the sands of the desert, where all is desolate, and 
lonely, and noiseless. The Circassian Memlooks were 
the last kings of Egypt previous to the Turkish con- 
quest. The dynasty continued in power from 1382 to 
1517. The tombs are of stone, and striped horizon- 
tally black and white, or red and white, like many 
Italian churches. The most noble edifice of this group 
is the tomb of Kaitbay, a famous sovereign of the 
dynasty, who was more than a match for the Turks, 
and who, by his valour, delayed materially their con- 
quest of Egypt. The interiors of these mosque-tombs 
show the remains of former splendour in fine paved 
courts, walls ornamented with mother-of-pearl and 
polished stones, and the richness of Saracenic archi- 
tecture, — but dust and decay are in close embrace with 
these beautiful works, which seem to be now mere 
homes for a few ragged families. In one of the tombs 
we were shown the impress of the prophet's feet and 
hand, which our attendants most devoutly kissed. 
These precious relics had been brought from Mecca 



TOMBS OF THE PACHAS. 



133 



by the monarch who was there buried. According to 
the mark of the prophet's hand, Mohammed must have 
been a Titan. From these tombs we passed behind 
the city and the citadel, along the edge of the desert, 
and through innumerable straggling cemeteries, whose 
tombstones rose up above the surface of the hot sand 
like buoys in the water, to the tomb-edifice of Moham- 
med Ali's family, at the south of the city. It is a three- 
domed structure, of no great beauty, and with an in- 
terior positively ugly and gaudy with gilt and paint. 
A magnificent camel's hair shawl covered the tomb of 
Ibrahim Pacha; the tomb itself was not completed. 
The tombs are arranged in two apartments, and some- 
what resemble a collection of dog-houses. Besides 
Ibrahim's are those of Toosoom and Ismail, Moham- 
med Ali's other sons, — of the Defterdar, and a host of 
other minor members of the family. 



10 



€fyt ZSi&txU nl $\\t) unit |jjttt\ 



PREPARATIONS POR DESERT-TRAVEL — ROUTE FROM CAIRO TO 
SUEZ-AYUN MOUSA— MARAH— ELIM. 



The 7th of April had been appointed as our day of 
departure from Cairo for Mount Sinai, but a recur- 
rence of an old fever and ague kept me in bed on that 
day, and it was not until Monday morning the 9th, 
that we left the hotel on donkeys to join the camels 
which were waiting without the city. My delight at 
entering upon the novel scenes of the desert was 
sadly tempered by my sense of the difficulties before 
me. We were much too late in the season — it was 
now the period of the Khamseen, the hot desert wind 
with which so many fearful stories are connected. 
We could expect no water for the first ten days, ex- 
cept the supply we carried from the Nile — and the 
tribes of the desert were said to be growing unman- 
ageable, owing to the imbecility of Mohammed Ali, 
whose name formerly held them in check. Moreover, 
I had the care of two ladies, who had never previ- 
ously known the fatigues that lay before them, and all 
our Cairo friends had urged us to abandon the design. 
Per contra, I had left home principally to see the 
Desert and Palestine. We were all in good health 
and spirits— I knew that if the present opportunity 



DOUBTS. 135 

were passed, my hopes of visiting Sinai and Petra 
would become indefinitely small, and we had mustered 
a party of eight, with seven servants. These latter 
considerations proved the weightier, and we conse- 
quently persevered in our intention. We had, more- 
over, lately received a note by Besharah, from a kind 
English friend, who had been conducted by Besharah 
to Akaba. This note advised our journey, and in- 
formed us of some excellent arrangements our friend 
had made with the celebrated Sheikh Hossein of 
Akaba, regarding Frank travellers. 

Our party consisted of our three selves, our friend 

C , of Boston, Mr. L — — and Capt. P , of 

Scotland, Mr. F , of England, and Mr. M , of 

Wales. On riding out to the caravan, we found C 

full of his experience of desert life, for he had spent 
the night in his tent. He conducted us about as a 
veritable Bedawee, and looked upon us as neophytes 
by his side. He confessed, however, that it was not 
so agreeable in reality to sleep in a tent as in fancy, 
for he had commenced an acquaintance with several 
new entomological attaches, and he had listened all 
night to the growls of the camels. My heart sank 
within me, as I thought of the ensuing month and its . 
imagined trials ; but I committed my w T ays to a kind 
Providence, and took courage. We now had left the 
Hotel d'Orient and its comforts, Musr el Kahirah and 
its beauties, and civilization with its luxuries, to endure 
fatigue, heat, and privations, such as we had never 
before known. The scene that morning was spirited. 
The Bedawin were loudly calling to each other, our 
thirty-six camels were groaning pitifully while submit- 
ting to their loads, and our servants were busy at 
everything. Then there were the striking of tents, 
the Turkish costume of the gentlemen and the gro- 



136 



ROUTES TO SUEZ. 



tesque attire of the ladies, the intermingled donkeys 
and donkey boys, and a thousand other curious sights 
for our first taste of the desert. At 81 A. M., we 
started in straggling order, with faces towards the 
grim desert on whose skirts we were already treading. 
The ladies at first felt ill at ease, but at length grew 
merry in their elevated position. An endless waste of 
sand hills and plains of a sombre yellow lay before us 
and on either hand, excepting on a portion of our left, 
where we caught glimpses of the green valley of the 
Nile as it spreads into the fertile Delta. 

We proceedat the slow funereal gait of the camel 
(about two and a half miles per hour), and continued 
for seven hours without a halt— the caravan keeping 
no regular line of march, but each one going where 
he would. At 3j P. M. we turned off the track into a 
scarcely perceptible wady (the Wady SufFra) and dis- 
mounted. The next half-hour was employed in un- 
loading the camels and in pitching the tents, and then 
we were left to our meditations in the solemn silence 
of the desert. All along our day's course were seen 
the carcases of camels that had perished in their pass- 
age. Here and there they would rise before us like 
incarnations of the spirit of desolation, and cause a 
shudder as we gazed. The ways over the desert from 
Cairo to Suez are various. The Great Pilgrim or Haj 
route makes a northerly curve. The Derb el Hamra 
is more direct and is the road which the Transit has 
improved by clearing away the loose sand to the sides 
of the road. Along this road they have erected sta- 
tion houses, where horses are kept to supply the 
transit vans. These stations are small white build- 
ing, partly of wood and partly of stucco, and are 
placed at intervals of five miles. They serve greatly 
to relieve the monotony of the route. The shortest 



ft 



DERB EL HAMRA. 13 7 

route to Suez is the Derb el Ankibiyeh, reckoned by 
Dr. Robinson, who travelled it, to be about seventy- 
five miles in length. Farther south, beyond the Mu- 
kattem hills, is another route, the Derb el Besatin. 
We took the Derb el Hamra, its good condition from 
the Transit Company's care and the stations on its side 
being sufficient inducements. In most cases, these 
roads are merely beaten camel tracks (wide, from 
many camels travelling abreast) through a limitless 
field of sand. The wadys of this Suez desert are 
slightly depressed and broad channels, where the win- 
ter rains find a course, and where a few short herbs 
give token of a former moisture. At the time of our 
crossing, they were perfectly dry. It was interesting 
to see our good Ibrahim take his last look at Cairo, 
The minarets were just disappearing behind a sand 
hill, when he wheeled his dromedary and halted, with 
his eyes fixed on the distant city. " Farewell, my be- 
loved Musr, may Allah restore me to your beauty," 
cried the enthusiastic Cairene, and bending gracefully 
on his saddle, he again turned his dromedary and rode 
amidst the caravan. The scene was touching, and 
irresistibly recalled to our minds the distance that 
intervened between us and our Musr on the Hudson. 
Our first day in the desert was marked with a mirage, 
and by the time of our arrival at Hebron, we had be- 
come familiar with this tantalizing phenomenon. The 
Derb el Hamra is quite hard to the foot, and our ideas 
of the quality of the desert sand suffered material 
alteration. Instead of the loose dust-like sand which 
we had expected, and which we had seen on the bor- 
ders of the Nile valley, the road was formed of a well 
packed gravel, and presented excellent footing for the 
pedestrian. Mounted on a small sand hill, I compla- 
cently viewed our first desert encampment. Nine 



138 



LONELINESS OF THE DESERT. 



tents of various sizes and colours presented a formida- 
ble aspect. Around these were the camels, some 
browsing on the scanty herbage of the wady and some 
tied kneeling, the upper and lower portions of one 
fore-leg being so bound as to prevent rising. The 
Bedawin (who never carry tents in these passages 
through the desert) were gathered in squads about the 
piled baggage, chatting in an under tone, and the ser- 
vants were busy preparing the meals for the different 
tents. Beyond and around was the awful desert, dreary 
and solemn. By placing the hill between myself and 
the camp, my silent feelings were wondrously strange. 
I had never seen anything so impressive. I had never 
been so completely removed from the world. In such 
a situation, with all creation a blank about him, a 
man turns his thoughts on himself and is almost pain- 
fully aware of his own existence. In the every-day 
life of a man, he has no time for such thoughts. Even 
though he be an idler, yet his eyes are attracted by 
objects of interest about him, and he unavoidably 
employs his thoughts upon these objects. But alone 
in the desert, man must look at himself, and is startled 
at the sight, unless he has been a self-meditative char- 
acter. But that character is rare. The philosopher 
shuts his eyes and makes a virtual desert for his vision, 
but his thoughts rest on his theories and schemes, 
not on himself. The idler never shuts his eyes except 
when overcome by sleep. In the desert, the philoso- 
pher and idler are alike kept from theorizing and sleep- 
ing by the strange novelty of the scene, and the facts 
before them absorb each. It is the staring picture of 
Himself, with the sameness of the desert as a ground 
for the portrait. I was not sorry to return to the camp 
and relieve my social nature by again mingling among 
my kind. 



THE KOAD TO SUEZ. 



139 



The insects of Egypt were plentiful in the Suez 
desert, and greatly assisted in making us early risers. 
Every morning we rose at 4| or 5, and were off about 
6. Our day's journey was fixed at nine hours of con- 
secutive travel. About 3 P. M., we encamped, dined 
at 4 or 5, and retired at 8. We were regular in these 
hours until our arrival in Palestine. The motion of the 
camels we never could fully enjoy. At the close of the 
day our backs would feel convinced of bad usage, 
and rest in our tents was unspeakably refreshing. We 
often relieved our weariness by dismounting and walk- 
ing. I frequently would walk every third hour, and 
found in that a very desirable refreshment. The Beda- 
win walk almost altogether when conducting a caravan, 
only now and then making use of a loaded camel. The 
Sheikhs are exceptions, each Sheikh being provided 
with a riding camel. 

We left Cairo on Monday morning at &i A. M., and 
arrived at Suez on Thursday at I2{. Our travelling 
time was thirty-one hours, and the distance passed over 
is reckoned as eighty- two miles. This would make our 
rate of travel about two and two-third miles per hour. 
I should be rather inclined to think the distance about 
seventy-eight miles, and our rate of travel two and a 
half miles per hour. 

Petrified wood I observed from time to time even as 
far east as Wady Seil Abu Zeid, fifty miles from Cairo. 
Half-way between Cairo and Suez, we saw, looming 
conspicuously before us, the lone acacia tree, called 
Dar el Hamra (the red House) or Om e' Sharameet 
(the mother of rags). It stands on a broad elevated 
plain called ElMukrih, and is hung with rags placed by 
the pilgrims. This is their first station on the way to 
Mecca. The sight of it set our whole caravan in con- 
vulsions. We had seen sand till we were tired, and a 



no 



THE SOLITARY TREE. 



real green tree was too great a bait for our dignity to 
withstand. Pell mell, we galloped our dromedaries 
over the plain, shouting like madmen, and leaped off 
under the spreading branches of this out-of-place 
acacia. Blue and white rags were much more 
abundant than leaves, and formed an admirable substi- 
tute. Why these curious pendants are affixed to the 
branches is to me a mystery, unless it be as tokens of 
thanks for the pilgrims' safe return. If so, doubtless 
the pilgrims, like Diogenes, boast of their rags. 

A few miles beyond this lovely tree is a little tomb 
erected to an Ethiopian pilgrim. It has a pyramidal 
dome. Its interior is about six feet square and ten 
feet high, and on its whitewashed walls are Arabic 
inscriptions rudely painted. Across the dome hung a 
cord, from which depended balls, apparently of mud. 

This solitary building was, no doubt, erected by 
warm hearts, and its humble offerings placed there by 
a priceless affection. The tomb is called Kobbet 
e' Takrouree, and marks a stranger's grave. Still far- 
ther on, we passed a large mound, thrown up from an 
unsuccessful well, dug some eighty years since. A 
cockney would say that in attempting to make a well 
they made a Hll. 

About ten miles farther on, we came among small 
stone-heaps called Rejum esh Shawaghiriyeh, the place 
of sepulture of a number who were there murdered 
while endeavouring to conduct a caravan from Suez to 
Cairo. Such little matters are full of interest in the 
loneliness of the desert, where is so little incident to 
attract attention. Passing the dark brown Jebel Awei- 
bid upon our left, and having the loftier Jebel Attakeh 
(the famous mount of deliverance) upon our right, we 
entered the pass of Muntula. Low sand-hills on either 
side form the pass, which opens again into a basin a 



SIR CHARLES NAPIER. 



141 



mile or two broad, and then re-closes. This pass is 
supposed by some to be the Scripture Migdol, and by 
such supposers is styled Muktula, but the Arabs did 
not know any other name for the spot but Muntula. 

We saw several acacias between the Om E'Shara- 
meet and Muntula, but they were mostly very small. 
The mirage deceived us regarding the Red Sea before 
entering the pass, exactly as it did with Dr. Robinson. 

Sir Chas. Napier, on his way to India, overtook our 
caravan. He was travelling in Abbas Pacha's carriage, 
his suite following in vans. His luggage preceded him, 
borne on a long line of camels. We hauled our fleet 
on one side, and as the brave general passed, displayed 
the four flags of the party and gave him a salute of 
three hearty cheers. He awaited us at the next station, 
and held a few minutes' conversation. This was decid- 
edly an incident, and relieved the tedium of the day. 
We encamped our third night in the pass of Muntula, 
and from the range of low hills at the South, I ob- 
tained my first view of the Red Sea, about fifteen miles 
off. 

To the left was discernible the castle of Ajrud, the 
first of a series of fortified stations on the Pilgrims' 
route. The next morning, on issuing from the pass, 
we had a full view of the castle, lying north of our 
road, the Haj route running in that direction in order 
to pass around the head of the sea. The castle is a 
plain square wall, with round towers at the corners and 
at the centre of each side, excepting the south, where 
is the entrance between two square towers. Not far 
from it westward is a mosque, somewhat resembling a 
small fort in structure. Between the castle and mosque 
is a Santon's white tomb, We were now upon the 
plain of Suez, and far before us was the black-looking 
town. About three miles from the town, we came to 



142 



SUEZ. 



the Well of Suez. This is an irregular castle-like 
enclosure of stone wall, with a gate. On the west side 
are troughs for camels, a spout, and a reservoir. The 
water was very brackish. At noon we entered Suez, 
having passed, without the walls, the mound of Kol- 
zum or Clysma, the ancient port. An ugly dilapi- 
dated wall partially surrounds the wretched town, 
within which about twelve hundred human beings 
vegetate. 

Nothing can be more desolate than the situation of 
Suez. A waste of yellow sands and an expanse of 
greenish water are all its environs. Not a green leaf 
is to be seen, nor any sign of Nature's power to be 
agreeable. Within the walls are miserable huts, filthy 
lanes, and a squalid population. The water of the sea 
(by reason of its sandy bottom) was of a light trans- 
parent green, unlike any I had ever before seen. 
Quantities of vessels were in the harbour and on the 
sands, all resembling old decayed frigate hulks with new 
peaked bows, completely devoid of masts or rigging. 
To our surprise, we found a fine large hotel, kept by 
an enterprising Scotchman, and by its side was the 
residence of Captain Linguist, which would have done 
credit to Cairo. This was finding pearls on a dung- 
hill, and we gave ourselves up to the full enjoyment of 
the luxury. 

I strolled out to the beach of the memorable sea, 
rendered famous to the end of time by one of the most 
startling exhibitions of Divine power. It was in this 
very neighbourhood that the children of Israel had 
crossed the restrained waters, and the Egyptian army 
had found its destruction in its presumptuous pursuit. 
The land of Goshen was, doubtless, along the Pelusiac 
arm of the Nile, and the departure of the Israelites 
was taken from Belbays or its vicinity. 



SUEZ DINNER. 



143 



The Israelites, without doubt, first directed their 
way towards Sinai, intending to pass north of the sea. 
They had reached Etham in this determination, Etham 
being probably a little north of the end of the gulf. 
Then (Exodus xiv. 1, 2) God commands them to turn 
from their intended course, and put the sea between 
them and their desired goal, that thereby the Egyp- 
tian king might be tempted on to his destruction. If 
it was not so, why was a divine command necessary 
at all ? Moses knew well the way to Sinai, for he had 
lived there forty years, and he had been ordered by 
God to bring the people thither. He was on his route, 
and needed no new command, unless it was to turn 
from his direct course. In this way, the host of Israel 
was brought near the modern Suez, with the dark 
mountain of Attakeh precluding all farther progress 
southward, the sea before them, and the Egyptian 
army penning them in upon the west and north. Then 
came the murmur and the miracle. 

We had now reached the track of the Israelites, 
and were to follow their wanderings to the borders of 
Canaan. The journey received a new aspect, and be- 
came of deeper interest. Our guide-book was 3000 
years old, but was all we needed, for in those change- 
less wilds, a thousand years are as a day. 

I turned from the sea and its strange memories. A 
few boats were receiving repairs along the beach, five 
lazy-looking cannon were gaping toward the water, 
(cannon that would have expired at the first exertion), 
some blacksmiths, not satisfied with the fierce heat of 
the day, were manufacturing a domestic supply in their 
rude booths, and a few Arabs were bathing and wash- 
ing their garments in the green water. 

Returning to the hotel, we enjoyed a dinner in a 
house, for which we paid the Suez price of two dollars 



144 FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH ASIA. 

apiece. To our great surprise, our French friends of 
the Nile walked in. They had left Cairo on Wednesday 
morning at 9 o' clock, and reached Suez at 3 \ P. M. 
Thursday. They had performed the journey on don- 
keys, taking scarcely any rest, and giving their poor 
beasts no water. Yet they entered Suez on a gallop. 
This journey of eighty-two miles on donkeys, in 30J 
hours, or nearly 2| miles per hour inclusive of stop- 
pages, and that for the most part beneath a burning 
sun, was a feat of no small difficulty. One of the 
French gentlemen was on his way to Abyssinia, and 
the others were about to return to Paris. 

Through Captain Linguist's kindness, we were al- 
lowed the use of his boat to cross the sea to Ayun 
Mousa. Captain P., one of our party, was compelled, 
by sickness, to abandon us ; and, thus weakened in 
numbers, we left Suez, our camels having gone around 
the head of the gulf. 

The sea opposite Suez is only a mile or two in 
width, but Ayun Mousa is some distance down the 
Arabian coast, and is twelve miles distant from Suez. 
Our boat was well-cushioned and a pleasant sailer, 
and the variety in our method of progress was posi- 
tively charming. The channel was tortuous, and we 
grounded repeatedly, so that we did not arrive oppo- 
site Ayun Mousa until 10 P. M., four hours after leav- 
ing Suez. Now came the brunt. The shallows did 
not permit a nearer approximation to the shore than a 
quarter of a mile's distance. It was a dark night, and 
we were wearied with the day's excitement. How 
were we to reach the beach ? Our crew leaped into 
the water and offered us seats upon their shoulders. 
I ventured first to try the expedient. At the beginning 
my carrier performed well, but gradually his limbs 
trembled, and his knees knocked, his back bent more 



FAIRY LAND. 



145 



and more, and his plunges became fearful, till I found 
myself settled on my own pedestals, still far from the 
shore. The other members of the party, not suffici- 
ently patient to await the result of my trial, had mean- 
time mounted their several Arabs, and, with one or 
two exceptions, obtained a similar experience. There 
we were, not able to see one another, floundering in 
the water and taking every direction to reach the shore. 
Some were moving directly sea- ward, till our halloos 
restored them to a right course. Persevering and 
shouting encouragement to one another, we at length 
reached the land, where our considerate carriers were 
instantly clamorous for " backsheesh." It was too 
good a joke, and we rewarded them for our bath. We 
had to wait a half-hour in our dripping condition until 
the luggage could be brought ashore, and another half- 
hour was consumed in reaching Ayun Mousa, which 
lies back from the beach. The moon had now risen, 
and shone upon a dark object before us. As we ad- 
vanced, we recognised a garden — an Eden in the midst 
of dreary sands. We passed through this fairy land 
as in a dream; flowers and fruit-trees were growing 
luxuriantly about our path, the air was filled with de- 
licious perfumes, and we saw the gleam of water in the 
moonlight. Beyond were our tents, where Besharah 
was anxiously expecting us. It was half-past one in 
the morning before I lay down to rest. The next day 
I rose early, notwithstanding our late hour of retiring, 
and visited the gardens. The little Oasis of Ayun 
Mousa or Fountains of Moses consists of four fine 
gardens, well stocked with trees and vegetables, and 
supported in fertility by several wells. In each garden 
is a small house of tolerable comfort, and beyond the 
enclosures are two palm-trees, one being a curious as- 
semblage of five stems from one root. The gardens 



146 



AYUX MOUSA. 



belong to some gentlemen at Suez, who are connected 
with the Transit (Capt. Linguist among the number), 
and are worked by Arab servants. It was here, pro- 
bably, that the Israelitish host halted after the over- 
throw of their enemies, and here sang Moses and 
Miriam, " I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath tri- 
umphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider hath he 
cast into the sea.*' 

The Turfa or Tamarisk was the principal kind of 
tree in these gardens. I saw one peach-tree laden 
with young peaches and some blossoms. Dr. Robinson 
describes Ayun Mousa as showing scarcely any vege- 
tation ; gardens are, therefore, of very late date, though 
there is every reason to suppose that gardens have 
previously occupied the site, the wells presenting a 
strong inducement to cultivation. 

From the gardens we walked down to the sea, about 
a mile and a half distant. We had to enter a very 
^reat distance before we could find the water more 
than knee deep. The water abounded with the soft 
jelly-like i; sting-galls " of enormous size, and blue 
colour. — small crabs ran in all directions, — and coral 
and shells of beautiful shape and colour were plenty 
upon the beach. Returning to the camp, we dined, 
and at 2 P. M. started, intending to stop for the night 
at Wady Sudr, about eighteen miles farther. By a 
misunderstanding on the part of the Arabs, we got no 
farther than Wady el Hattit (Dr. Robinson's el-Ahtha) 
where we formed our second Asiatic encampment. Our 
route now lay along the plain extending from the 
mountains of Et-Tih to the shore. This plain is 
intersected by broad and shallow water-courses that 
descend to the sea. These wadys are marked by a 
growth of herbs of various sorts, on which the camels 
feed eagerly. This part of the desert was excessively 



MAKAH. 



147 



tedious, from the constant sameness of scenery. The 
mountains of Et-Tih rose some ten miles to our left, 
— the great sand waste extended thence to the sea, 
and apparently endless in front and rear, — and the 
grim mountains of Attakeh and Deraj, beyond the sea, 
bounded the western view. The heat was almost in- 
tolerable, and the water, both in casks and skins, was 
fairly putrid in taste and odour. We suffered greatly, 
but knowing that the faster we advanced the sooner 
our troubles would be over, we pushed on resolutely, 
and performed our regular day's journey of nine hours, 
with very few exceptions. On our third day from 
Suez, we reached Ain Howara, a fountain situated on 
a small hill to the left of the track, and which is 
thought (with much reasonableness) to be the Marah 
of Scripture. The fountain is merely a basin of a few 
feet in diameter, filled with brackish water, of which 
the camels drank freely, but the taste was to us much 
worse than that of our own hi^h-flavoured store. The 
wadv near this fountain bears the name of Amarah. 
This fact, and the situation of the spot, just three days' 
easy journey (thirty-eight miles) from Ayun Mousa, 
are strong arguments in favour of the identity of this 
fountain with the Scripture Marah. Dr. Robinson 
speaks frequently of the Ghurkud plant, and Burckhardt 
suggests that the juice of its berry may have sweeten- 
ed the waters of Marah for the Israelites. Dr. R. 
brings forward a good objection to this suggestion, in 
the fact that the berries could not have been sufficient- 
ly mature at the early period of the year in which the 
Israelites passed, — and then he states that the Be- 
dawin could not give him any information of methods 
to sweeten bad water. I made like inquiries of 
Besharah and his men, and, though they told me they 
had never heard of a plant called " Ghurkud," they all 



148 



THE BITTER WATERS. 



agreed that there was a shrub called " El Kedad," the 
berry of which they frequently put in brackish water, 
in order to sweeten it. They said it was abundant at 
Sinai and Wady Mousa, as well as in Wady Amarah 
and that neighbourhood. 

But the words of Moses seem to rebut the idea of 
his having used berries in sweetening the waters of 
Marah. He says, " The Lord showed him a tree, 
which, when he had cast into the waters, the waters 
were made sweet." The Hebrew word translated 
" tree " is \% and is used to denote the wood which 
Abraham carried, whereon to sacrifice Isaac. From the 
immediate succession of the Lord's showing and Moses' 
casting, I should render the word here " A stick of 
wood." A branch of a tree happening to lie by the 
fountain, Moses is ordered to take that (as a near ob- 
ject) and cast it into the water. His faith was exer- 
cised in so doing, and the people saw, by the miracle, 
that God was with them. This is certainly a more 
natural interpretation than to attempt to explain away 
the miracle. 

A half-hour beyond Ain Howarah we passed through 
a small basin-like tract called Nukeia el Ful, and which 
the Arabs pronounce Gayelful. After the rains, beans 
and barley are grown here, but now there was not the 
slightest trace of vegetation. An hour more brought 
us to Wady Ghurundel, a deep dry water-course, filled 
with green bushes and shrubs. We gladly encamped 
near some palm-bushes. I had expected to find water 
here, and was disappointed to hear it was still a half- 
hour distant down the wady. Hot as it was (the 
thermometer indicating a heat of 101 deg. Fahr. in the 
coolest spot we could find), I ran eagerly down the 
wady, and in a half hour reached the desired water. 
Several shallow streamlets, about two feet in width, 



BEDAWEE COSTUME. 



149 



rise from the sandy bed and run slowly westward, 
seeming to disappear again in the sands. I drank 
recklessly, and thought the water nectar, yet the next 
day, when my thirst was not so urgent, I could scarce 
bear a drop of the nauseous stuff in my mouth. The 
ground around the springs was encrusted with salt. 
The wady was very verdant, a coarse sort of grass, of 
lily appearance, growing very plentifully. I got back 
to the camp in time to see our tents all take flight like 
a frightened flock of geese, and leave their inmates to 
write their journals in the open air, — a duty, however, 
on which they were certainly not in-tent. We all made 
chase after our runaway houses, and having caught 
them, bound them over to avoid future desertion. 
Tent-life has its advantages and disadvantages. There 
is a pleasing independence connected with it, utterly 
inconceivable to a worthy citizen. A man in the desert, 
however much he may be tied to his house, is not 
bound to one spot ; as with the snail, his obsequious 
abode always waits on him like a drilled footman ; then 
there is no running up and down stairs, and you need 
not be particular in cleaning your boots before you 
enter the house ; more than all, you have no taxes to 
pay ; yet, on the other hand, you find your house 
neither wind-proof nor eye-proof, and old iEolus or a 
prying Bedawee may call forth your anathemas, and 
while you are lying on your bed gazing thoughtfully at 
your canvass roof, it is very provoking to have this 
roof metamorphosed into a star-lit sky by the sudden 
flight of your domicile. 

The Bedawee costume exhibits as easy a style of 
dress as a man could desire. If that unhappy French- 
man had adopted it, he would not have committed 
suicide on account of "this confounded buttoning and 
unbuttoning." A tunic of coarse dirty-white material 
11 



150 



THE BEDAWIK 



is bound around the waist by a broad red leather belt, 
over which is thrown a sleeved cloak or toga of the 
same (or else of thick woollen striped brown and 
white). Sometimes they wear sandals of camel's hide. 
The Towarah (or Bedawin of the Sinai peninsula) 
wear the white turban, but the other tribes use the 
kefiyeh, or head-kerchief, tied about the forehead 
with a band of camel's hair or wool. They seem 
never to change their garments, and give every indica- 
tion of retaining them faithfully until they fall to rags. 
The Bedawin are, consequently, not the cleanest 
people in the world. Indeed, the whole character of 
these Ishmaelites had been sadly misconceived by us. 
We had looked for the Bedawee of the French novelists, 
a white-bearded patriarch, full of honour and dignity, 
of noble stature and bearing, and the personification 
of justice and generosity. But such an Arab exists 
only in the imagination. It will not do in modern 
days, when almost every part of the globe is becoming 
as well known as a London street, to talk romantically 
about the perfection of any human character. Poor 
human nature is pretty much the same everywhere, 
and Utopia must be sought beyond our earth's atmos- 
phere. We found the noble Bedawee a dirty being, of 
short stature and unprepossessing appearance, with 
just as much honour in his composition as in a high- 
wayman. His ideas of justice were strangely askew — 
his own benefit seeming to be its unfailing standard. 
In short, the Bedawee's moral character is exactly that 
of every semi-barbarous people, where the weeds of 
man's natural disposition grow up with little restraint, 
and where, we confess, some pretty wild flowers are 
also seen. By intercourse with travellers, the border 
Bedawin have received a few of the virtues and many 
of the vices of civilization, and the love of money has 



THE BEDAWIN. 



151 



induced them to resign some of their independency, 
and yield some subjection to the Pacha of Egypt. This 
is an admirable arrangement for travellers, but detracts 
from the small stock of Bedawee glory. 

It has become fashionable to say that Abraham was 
a Bedawee, but such is not the case. Job was, no 
doubt, and so was Jethro ; but Abraham, living in the 
fertile vales of Palestine, bore no more resemblance to 
a Bedawee than the modern Syrian of Nablous does 
to the rangers of the Arabian desert, 



< 



£l)i Start fa nf iitt anil $\m\. 



ELIM— ENCAMPMENT BY THE SEA— BUDERAH— WRITTEN VALLEY— 
EEIRAN— NUKB HAWY— ARRIVAL AT SINAI. 

We left Wady Ghurundel about half-past 5 in the 
morning (April 16), and commenced a sort of hilly 
travel southward, winding through a labyrinth of wadys 
and sand-hills. This was a luxury after three days of 
monotonous plain. We soon caught sight of Serbal, 
the highest peak of the peninsula mountains, nearly 
fifty miles south-east in a direct line. 

Wady Ghurundel is generally supposed to be the 
Elini of Scripture ; and the fact of its exhibiting more 
natural verdure than any point between Egypt and 
Mount Sinai (Wady Feiran excepted), is the main 
support of the hypothesis. But if Ain Hawara is 
Marah, the distance to Ghurundel, only five miles, is 
too small for a day's journey of the Israeli tish host. 
Besides, the distance from Wady Ghurundel to "the 
encampment by the sea" (which next ensues, and 
which can be very clearly ascertained), is seventeen 
miles, — too large for one stage of the Israelitish pro- 
gress. We should, therefore, place Elim at Wady 
Useit, which is nearly half-way between Ain Hawara 
and the " sea encampment." Wady Useit, it is true, 



THE PROBABLE ELIM. 



153 



exhibits scarcely any verdure, except immediately 
around the water, while Ghurundel is full of herbage 
and bush-growth for a mile's extent ; but we are al- 
lowed to suppose sufficient change in this respect 
from natural causes during a period of three thousand 
years. 

About an hour from Wady Ghurundel we passed 
two piles of loose stones, termed Husan Aboo Zenneh, 
or " The horse of Aboo Zenneh," so called as marking 
the grave of that animal unknown to fame. My camel 
leader gave one of the heaps a, kick as he passed, 
uttering some Arabic formula, which is customary at 
this point. Besharah set off to find some rain-water 
on Jebel Hummam, a mountain between us and the sea, 
but returned, after a long tramp, unsuccessful. We 
kept on among limestone hills and cliffs. In Wady 
Aboo Suweileh we passed a lonely acacia, and at 7 
A. M. we entered a basin a half mile square, called 
el Medjas, surrounded by fort-like cliffs of gravel. 
Then came Wady Useit with its wee oasis, pos- 
sessing brackish water in small sand hollows, and a 
dozen palm trees, some of sizeable respectability. 
Here we would place the Scriptural Elim, as before 
remarked. It was a hilly country we were now tra- 
versing, and the formations were very peculiar. One 
cliff resembled exactly a huge table, another was a 
thatched cottage, and a number bore striking similarity 
to a series of fortifications. The long, dark brown 
Jebel Hummam was a wall upon our right, beyond 
which we were to turn down to the sea. Grasshop- 
pers of extraordinary size and of the colour of the sand 
were frequent, and the curious angular-shaped lizards 
of the desert were constantly escaping from the path 
of the camels. Another rude heap of stones, orna- 
mented with a dozen miniature flags, composed of 



154 



ABOO ZEXEEMA. 



rough sticks and dirty rags, bore the title of " Oreis 
Themman, or " Bride of Themman,'' such a character 
being there interred. What a dull home for a bride ! 
Death had been her dowry and the sands her compa- 
nions. At 11 A. M. we reached Wady Taiyibeh, and 
leaving Dr. Robinson's route, turned down to the sea. 
Here was a new species of scenery — the valley becom- 
ing narrow and the cliffs high on either side. The 
valley winds greatly on its course to the sea, about 
half-way to which is a pretty copse of turfa trees, 
where we made a temporary halt. About a half mile 
further flowed a tiny stream from under a ledge that 
rose in the centre of the wady, and continued toward 
the sea. In two hours from the entrance of the wady, 
we reached the sea, and found the sea-breeze pecu- 
liarly grateful. A small cave was hollowed in the cliff 
upon our left, and there to our surprise was an Italian 
botanist, arranging specimens of desert herbs he had 
collected. A few Bedawin and their camels were his 
only companions. We greeted him with a " Wlio in 
the world are you ?" and after a few minutes' conver- 
sation, left him to his solitude and employment. 

A wide plain extended from the cliffs to the sea ; 
this plain gradually narrowed after passing a sandy 
projection into the sea, called Ras Aboo Zeneema. 
Aboo Zeneema is the occupant of a sorry-looking 
tomb that stands upon the little cape. After passing 
two points, where the cliffs hardly gave us room to 
advance between them ajid the sea, we came to a third 
projection, that quite put out of our heads the idea of 
passing dryshod. The Bedawin said there was a road 
over them, which some took and found a difficult pass, 
but the most of us made the outside passage, the 
camels going knee-deep in the water. This promon- 
tory was about a mile in extent, after which we came 



ENCAMPMENT OF ISRAEL. 



155 



upon a broad plain, where the mountains retired for 
some distance. Here we encamped, without doubt in 
the neighbourhood of the encampment of the Israelites 
" on the Red Sea." We cannot suppose they went 
down Wady Ghurundel to the sea, for if so, they 
would have been compelled to retrace their steps, as 
Jebel Hummam prevents a progress southward by the 
beach. Mr. Bartlett found that the case, and had to 
return inland by Wady Useit, before he could gain the 
position we now had upon the seashore. As they 
could not have gone down Wady Ghurundel, so Wady 
Taiyibeh is the first way they could have taken to the 
sea, and this is moreover the most direct route to 
Sinai, for which the Israelites were tending — for inter- 
vening hills and mountains prevent a straight course 
to Sinai. It was then the same course that we took, 
that was taken by the Israelites, and from the water 
in Wady Taiyibeh, it is probable that its mouth was 
the exact site of their encampment, which may have 
extended along the stream up to its source. This 
would just be a good day's journey for the host. We 
took a little more than seven hours to perform it, 
which, to the large numbers of the Israelites, encum- 
bered with baggage and accompanied by women and 
children, would be at least a ten hours' journey. 

When approaching the sea, the Arabs put gunpow- 
der into the camels' nostrils, as a preventive against 
sickness by inhaling sea air — whether the camels ac- 
quire bravery by so often smelling gunpowder, our 
worthy escort did not say. When we reached the 
sea, Hassan, my swarthy leader, ran down, and having 
filled his mouth with the salt water, returned and 
squirted this also in the unfortunate proboscis of my 
beast. It was this fear of injury to their camels' 
health that induced the Bedawin to wish an encamp- 



156 



VISIT FROM A HYAENA. 



ment away from the sea, — but we couldn't spare the 
sea breeze and were almost rabid for a bath, and 
therefore gave our firm opinion that sea air was per- 
fectly innoxious to beast as well as man. Hence, we 
encamped just above the ripple of the water, and lis- 
tened to its song more devotedly than a lover ever 
listened to the voice of his mistress. That evening 
we had a delicious experience of the cooling qualities 
of the Red Sea. We had been roasting in a heat of 
about 115° (Fahr.) all day, and found the water richly 
invigorating. The sea was of a deep blue, and the 
opposite mountains of the Egyptian coast, about 
twenty miles distant, also wore a soft blue colour. 
We saw several sharks moving in the water, and the 
large blue sting-galls abounded, as near Ayun JVIousa. 
In the night, one of our party discovered a hyaena 
before a tent, and the next morning a number of fowls 
were missing. The tracks of the hungry thief were 
all that he left for our satisfaction. 

Leaving the sea, we passed over the sea-plain dia- 
gonally, crossing the bed of Wady Nukhl on our way, 
and entered Wady Nusb. The limestone region was 
now ceasing, and porphyritic formation commenced. 
Winding up the wady, we made a grand approach to 
the dark mountains of porphyry. The scenery was 
now sublime. High cliffs of the dark granite rose 
before us, and on every side were the desolate cliffs 
and defiles of Arabia Petrsea. We here met some 
Arabs we had sent the night before for water. They 
brought the pure rain-water from the mountains, and 
we drank deeply. It was our first palatable draught 
for a week. The wady was studded with acacias and 
colocynth vines. That morning we came to our first 
mountain pass, called the Pass of Buderah. It is a 
height of about five hundred feet in perpendicularity, 



THE SCULPTURED ROCKS. 



157 



and scaled by a zig-zag. We dismounted, allowing 
the camels to go up unburdened. This height fairly 
blocks the road like a cross wall, and is one of the 
thousand odd formations abounding in the Sinai penin- 
sula. 

From the summit was a strange view of the parti- 
coloured mountains and winding defiles, and a small 
glimpse of the blue sea was obtained. The camels 
toiled up the rocky path, and we resumed our journey 
through wild rock scenery. At length, we reached 
the junction of Wady Mokatteb and Wady Maghara ; 
our route lay through the former, but we made a short 
excursion up the latter, to see its curious sculptures. 
We very soon saw some inscriptions and Egyptian 
hieroglyphics on the rocks to our left. Passing these 
and going a short distance beyond the mouth of Wady 
Ghennee (which comes in from the right and is full of 
acacias), we reached the principal sculptures. They 
are situated high up the cliffs' side, near the seeming 
mouths of quarries, and are reached by some rough 
climbing. The sculptures consist of Egyptian bas- 
reliefs and calendars, some bearing the cartouches of 
very early kings, Suphis or Cheops among the num- 
ber. They were, undoubtedly, carved when these 
quarries were worked by the Pharaohs, and bear addi- 
tional testimony to the power and taste of those early 
monarchs. I here give an exact copy of one of the 
inscriptions in this wady — 



Returning to Wady Mokatteb, we passed on to a 
large opening of about one and a half miles square, 
surrounded by red mountains, conspicuous among 




158 THE STRANGE WRITING, 



which was the Jebel Nebbee on its south-east corner. 
We passed along the west side of this plain, and found 
multitudes of inscriptions along the bases of the cliffs. 
Having encamped just beyond the plain, I copied 
several of the inscriptions. They were some in Greek 
and some in the strange character of Wady Maghara. 
Rude figures of camels were interspersed, and many 
crosses, thus -)-. 

I here give some of the inscriptions, and can affirm 
them in every particular exact. 




A£C£ N 10 V 

KANAB 

OY CA(|> 

tee pt ;7v:, 



THE OASIS. 



159 




I offer no hypotheses regarding these strange and 
innumerable inscriptions, but content myself with re- 
marking, that the Greek letters seem to destroy any 
supposition of great antiquity, unless the Greek inscrip- 
tions were placed there in imitation of previous carv- 
ings. But the whole matter is in process of investiga- 
tion, and will, doubtless, be in a few years as little of 
a wonder as a Roman coin or a Grecian statue. 

From Wady Mokatteb we entered Wady Feiran. 
About ten miles from the entrance, we came upon the 
oasis of El Husmee, its well, palm trees, and little 
garden enclosures rendering us as noisy as children 
with delight. A little farther, the hill of Feiran, or 
Pharan, came in sight, where stood the desert city of 
the Christians, now a collection of crumbled and crum- 
bling ruins. Winding around this hill, that stands im- 
mediately in the centre of the wady, we hailed with 
joy a vast palm forest before us, and the gentle mur- 
murs of a rippling brook. Our whole souls were 
roused in delight ; we shrieked in enthusiasm, and felt 
intoxicated with the unexpected sight. We had known 
that Feiran was an oasis, but had thought of it as of 
Ghurundel and Useit — a few bushes, two or three 
palms, and a muddy pool. But here was the softest 
green sod, a large forest of waving palms, gardens of 
richest luxuriance, streams and fountains of refreshing 
coolness, and the warbles of a thousand birds. We 
lay upon the grass as if we had never before seen a 
blade, and we ate the fruit of the gardens with unex- 



160 



FEIRAN. 



ampled avidity. It was, indeed, the realization of ro- 
mance. The novelist would need but a full and truthful 
description of this oasis, to give the highest colouring 
to his page, and a truthful narrator would be liable to 
suspicions regarding either his veracity or sanity. 

Huts are seen in the various enclosures where the 
tillers of the soil reside. We saw but few, — among 
them some filthy women. This wady is the principal 
abode of our guides — the " Welad Said " section of 
the Sowalha tribe — and is highly praised, as is reason- 
able, by these wanderers. Besharah always spoke of 
Wady Feiran with a glistening eye and spirited ac- 
cent. He said there was nothing like it, and I was 
inclined to agree with him when I encamped amid its 
verdure. I here give a brief description of the valley 
and its ruins, with a rough sketch of its form. 




1. Mt. SerbaL 3. Ruins of Public Building?.. 

2. Encamping Ground. 4. Ruins of the TWd. 

The ruins, as seen in the sketch, are principally 
situated on a mound that juts out into the basin 
formed by the junction of several wadys. The south- 
east side of this mound is precipitous, but the other 
side can be ascended. One portion has, at the base, 
the remnant of a thick stone wall,, probably erected to 



THE OLD TOWN. IGJ 

prevent the wash of the hill by the rains, as also to 
answer purposes of defence, there being none on the 
precipitous side, where these reasons did not operate. 
This w r all is built of large stones, and fastened by mor- 
tar. The buildings upon the mound are almost utterly 
ruined : the largest is upon the south-east portion of 
the hill overlooking the precipice. It appears to have 
been the cathedral and bishop's palace. The material 
of the structure is crude brick, mingled with stone. 
Several red sandstone pillars lie prostrate among the 
remains, and, probably, others are buried beneath the 
rubbish. These pillars are exceedingly plain, lacking 
the slightest ornament, are of no established order, and 
are eighteen inches in diameter. Near by, a circular 
wall seems to mark the remains of a baptistery. Seve- 
ral other buildings of lesser size occupy the mound, 
and were probably all dedicated to religious uses. 
Surrounded by a wall, they constituted a fortified 
sanctuary, to which the inhabitants of the Christian 
settlement might fly to escape the fury of the sur- 
rounding tribes. Opposite this mound, and situated 
on the point between Wady Feiran and Wady Enfoos, 
are the remains of the town itself. On my inquiry 
of the Arabs regarding the builders of this town, 
they frankly owned that the Hawagees, or Frank 
Christians of a former period, were the original 
framers and inhabitants of these structures. The 
houses are plain stone buildings, with low doors ; some 
with one room, and others with more. The Arabs 
have converted some of them into store-houses, cover- 
ing the tops of the rooms with a roof of palm-trunks, 
and fastening the wooden doors with rude wooden 
locks. Though it would not demand great ingenuity 
to enter these safes, yet, in some points, Arab honour 
is so staunch (forced to be so by a knowledge of their 



162 



CURIOUS STRUCTURES. 



own interest) that the corn or other property here 
stored is as secure as if within the vaults of the Bank 
of England. These rude houses are apparently built 
without mortar, and are, consequently, much dilapi- 
dated. 

The basin and wadys are here bounded by high cliffs, 
in whose sides are caves innumerable, the former abodes 
of anchorites, who deemed their future enjoyments of 
heaven capable of an expansion proportionable with 
the compression of their present earthly joys. Their 
knowledge of heaven was probably as profound as their 
acquaintance with earth. Where the hills are less per- 
pendicular, their sides and summits are covered with 
small stone structures, whose purposes baffle my imagi- 
nation. They are about eleven feet long, and six feet 
wide, and built of large stones, without mortar, but well 
filled up with sand and gravel. The interior is just large 
enough for one person to lie comfortably, being about 
seven feet by two, the walls and roof being two feet in 
thickness. What causes the surprise, is the fact that 
these buildings are entirely closed on all sides ; if they 
were tombs, how came the bodies out ? If the bodies 
had been abstracted, no one would have built up the 
tombs again in perfect symmetry and so hermetically 
sealed. To test the matter, I chose one of these 
buildings that was in all respects in a perfect state — 
the sides, ends, and roof were entire and as nicely fitted 
as if built by a modern professed mason ; not a cre- 
vice could be seen anywhere, and not the slightest sign 
of its disturbance since its erection. I found it no 
easy task to unroof it by casting the heavy stones over 
the sides. After considerable labour, I removed the 
roof, and found (as in all the rest) nothing. Not a 
bone, or any trinket, or anything that could tell of the 
former presence of a body within There was no 



FEIRAN AND PARAN. 



163 



writing upon the interior or exterior. What these 
curious and multitudinous structures were, I am 
utterly at a loss to imagine ; but that they were 
tombs, I unhesitatingly deny. The Arabs were as 
ignorant as myself. All they knew was, that these 
structures were built by the Hawagees. I saw no 
others in the desert like them, but in this district of 
Wady Feiran they are seen on every side, and all of 
exactly the same construction. Sometimes two or 
three would be ranged in a row under one continuous 
roof. There can be no doubt that they appertained to 
the Christian city of Pharan. The only mystery is 
their purpose. 

Besides these strange erections, there are small 
ruined chapels seen on various elevated points ; these 
are built in the same rude style as the houses below. 

Feiran, or Pharan, is said by some to possess the 
same name that it held 3000 years ago ; and an English 
nobleman applies the words of Habbakuk (" God came 
from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran ") to 
this spot. But I greatly dubitate in these conclusions. 
The first mention of Paran in the Scriptures is in re- 
lation to Ishmael, who (it is said) dwelt in " the wil- 
derness of Paran." There is nothing in the context to 
fix the spot. It may have been near Mount Sinai, or 
it may have been near the Dead Sea, as far as this pass- 
age is concerned. The next mention of Paran is in 
Numbers x. 12, and xii. 16. By comparing these two 
passages and the intervening account, we find that the 
wilderness of Paran was reached by the Israelites after 
leaving the wilderness of Sinai, and that several en- 
campments intervened between the Holy Mountain and 
this wilderness of Paran. We also see that from this 
wilderness of Paran the spies were sent out, and (Num- 
bers xiii. 26) to it they returned, even to Kadesh. Now, 



164 



WILDERNESS OF SIK 



from the attempt of the children of Israel to go up 
into Canaan from Kadesh, when they were defeated at 
Hormah, and the mention of Mount Hor as one of their 
nearest encampments to Kadesh (Numbers xx. 22), we 
learn that this Kadesh must have been near the south- 
ern extremity of the Dead Sea, in the vicinity of both 
Mount Hor and Palestine. Therefore the wilderness 
of Paran must have been in that vicinity. Again, in 
Deuteronomy i. 2, we see that Kadesh is eleven days 
from Sinai, while Wady Feiran is but two at furthest. 

We can see no connection, therefore, between the 
Wady Feiran of the Sinai region and the Paran of 
Scripture. 

The theory of Dr. Lepsius, regarding the identity of 
Rephidim and Feiran, present, to my thinking, stronger 
claims for belief. We are told that Israel left the Red 
Sea and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. Dr. 
Robinson places the wilderness of Sin along the Red 
Sea, consisting of a long tract of beach. This seems 
highly improbable from the words of Moses, that Israel 
removed from the Red Sea, and encamped in the 
wilderness of Sin. Supposing the Israelites took the 
most direct route to Sinai, for which they were aiming, 
I would place the wilderness of Sin in the neighbour- 
hood of the Pass of Buderah, where our Arabs obtained 
water for us, and where there was probably a plenty 
(standing rain-water) in the earlier season in which 
the Israelites passed. Dophkah, the next mentioned 
station, would be somewhere in the Written Valley 
(Wady Mokatteb), and Alush would be sought in the 
same wady, probably at the large fine plain or basin 
above-mentioned, which would form one of the best 
encamping spots for a vast host in the whole Sinai 
region. The name Alush (crowds) seems to point out 
some extensive place of concourse. Rephidim would 



SERBAL. 



105 



thus fall about seven miles north of the oasis of Feiran, 
while Feiran itself would be the settlement and head- 
quarters of the Amalekites, the ancient Bedawin. iVftcr 
the defeat of the Amalekites, Israel would naturally 
take possession of their green oasis, and thus extend 
the name of Rephidim (Refreshings) to this place. 
This hypothesis harmonizes the fact of running water 
being present at Feiran, with the condition that 
Rephidim had no water, except what was brought by 
miracle from Horeb. Cosmas, 1300 years ago, pro- 
nounced Feiran to be Rephidim. 

Pharan is known to have been a city as early as the 
fourth century, and was probably composed of Chris- 
tians who had fled from persecutions in Egypt or Syria. 
It was a bishopric, and continued so to be for 700 
years, when it seems to have been absorbed by its 
neighbour settlement at the convent of Mount Sinai. 
For the last six centuries, at least, it is not likely that 
any Christian has dwelt in this spot, though the tra- 
ditions of the Arabs still refer the ruins to their real 
builders. 

Mount Serbal is a conspicuous object from Pharan. 
It rises in jagged sugar-loaf peaks, but a few miles 
from the ruined city, at the extremity of the branch 
Wady Aleyat. The peculiar characters seen in Wady 
Mokatteb exist in various places between Pharan and 
the foot of Serbal, and are also carved on the very 
summit of the mountain, yet in the immediate vicinity 
of the ruins I could find none. Serbal is supposed by 
Dr. Lepsius to be the real Sinai, — but the worthy 
Doctor seems to have been led to this theory by the 
mere desire of opposing others. The fact of the non- 
existence of any plain large enough for the Israelitish 
encampment, whence they could all see the mountain, 
is sufficient objection to the theory, and the vast array 
12 



r 



166 



QUITTING FEIRAN. 



of testimony for the present Sinai in tradition, the great 
plain Er-Rahah, and the steep front of the mountain re- 
quiring bounds about it lest the people should touch 
it as a wall, completely throw the Prussian savant 
from his equilibrium. He deserves to be wrong for 
the wanton demolition he has made among the beauti- 
ful tombs of Thebes. We accuse Mohammed Ali of 
Vandalism in injuring Egyptian monuments, and here 
is a German literatus who has deliberately set hammer 
and axe at work among the finest remains of Egyptian 
art, and made a wreck of their greatest beauties. 

But we'll drop Dr. Lepsius, and turn to bid adieu to 
this Paradise of the Bedawee, where brooks and gardens, 
fruits and flowers, the pasturing goat and the rural em- 
ployments of the Arab have so ministered to our joy, 
and which render our departure so reluctant. We 
wound amid the palms, saluted the men who were till- 
ing the fertile soil, and gazed quietly upon the tropical 
foliage that surrounded us, At length the palms grew 
fewer, the foliage less luxuriant, and the sward was 
thin and ragged. Still further, and vegetation ceased ; 
we were again in the desert. We were still, however, 
in the Wady Feiran. In thirty-five minutes from our 
encampment, we passed two hills of yellow mud, about 
fifty feet high, and in a quarter of an hour more en- 
tered among a series of like hills, which skirted the 




wady (which was here greatly widened) for a long- 
distance, even to the mouth of Wady Sheikh, up which 
we turned. There must have been three or four miles 



BE DA WEE SALUTATIONS. 



167 



of this curious and unusual formation, which seems to 
point out the existence of a former lake. I drew, (as 
I rode) a plan of this section of the wady. 

Though the Bedawin cultivate die oasis of Feiran, 
vet they do not live there ; a sort of slaves called the 
Jebehyeh, (supposed to be the descendants of the ser- 
vants Justinian sent to the Sinai convent), occupying 
the little huts of the wady. The Bedawin. however, 
dwell in the vicinity, and as we passed along to Wady 
Sheikh, our conductors were constantly meeting their 
friends and relatives. Their greeting was peculiar- 
no boisterous %i How are you, old fellow 2" but a silent 
striking of wrists, and then a low and indistinct mut- 
tering. This method of salutation certainly wore a 
solemn air. but had not the first token of proceeding 
from any joyful emotion. I would not give a " thank 
you * for a Bedawee friend, if it was but for the re- 
served and formal expressions of friendship they prac- 
tise. Amid such etiquette, a friend is as desirable an 
object to meet as a funeral. But we saw one greeting 
that showed decidedly more sense. Hassan, my camel- 
leader, suddenly caught sight of a female face by the 
side of a small copse : instantly he handed me the 
halter, and in a twinkling I saw him and his fair attrac- 
tion in a perfect shower of kisses. There was no 
reserve or solemnity there, but all was as gay as a 
weddiDg. Hassan resumed the camel-rope with many 
a look cast back upon the copse, until we had left it 
out of sight ; but from that time till we parted at Aka- 
bah. Hassan's sweetheart was a favourite subject of 
jest. In vain the persecuted youth declared it was his 
mother. We laughed at his attempt to elude our jokes, 
and Hassan blushed through his swarthy skin. 

On entering Wady Sheikh, the smiling Besharah 
bade us a temporary farewell. He was about going to 



168 



DR. ROBINSON'S ROUTE. 



his tent-home further up Wady Feiran, and would re- 
join us when we left the convent. In* Wady Sheikh 
we noticed more Sinaitic inscriptions. At the distance 
of three and a half hours from the oasis of Feiran, we 
reached Dr. Robinson's route again at Wady Sebeh, 
having been three days upon a more western road. Dr. 
Robinson found his route from Wady Taiyibeh to 
Wady Sebeh about twenty-five hours. Our route was 
twenty-four and a quarter hours. There can be, there- 
fore, but little difference in their respective distances. 

From the junction, an inclined plane brought us to 
a quasi pass, by which we came in full sight of a large 
chaotic-looking plain, at the other end of which rose 
the dark mass of Jebel el Fureia, the boundary of the 
interior sanctuary of Sinai. Our course was directly 
over this open tract, amid risings and ravines that 
were awful in their desolation. I had never looked 
upon so solemn a scene. Jagged peaks, cliffs, and de- 
files, rock and sand, all thrown in a promiscuous 
assemblage, made us think of old Chaos, where no 
living creature breathed away ^he silence. For two 
hours we toiled among this sea of rocks, with nothing 
upon which to turn the eye except the most desolate 
and stern features of Nature. We then descended 
into Wady Solaf, a mighty defile that cuts through 
this horrible wilderness. Crossing this deep ravine, we 
mounted its southern bank, and were soon at the ex- 
tremity of the dreary expanse, at the base of the gaunt 
Jebel el Fureia, and the commencement of the Nukb 
Hawy, a pass of more than Alpine grandeur and wild- 
ness. This pass is the immediate entrance to the 
sacred plain of Sinai. It lies between Jebel el Fureia 
and Jebel es-Surey. The way at first is bounded by 
lofty cliffs, and mounts steeply among huge masses of 
detached rock and vast quantities of smaller stones. 



APPROACH TO SINAI. 169 

Then it gradually becomes less difficult, and takes the 
appearance of a glen, with sandy path, and tufts of 
herbs growing about its side, — then palms of stunted 
growth, and a well (or pool of rain-water) refresh the 
eye. Thus on and on we wind and climb for nearly 
two hours before we reach the summit of the pass. 
Now and then a camel would give out, and require a 
removal of its load ; at times the loads would remove 
themselves, and some breakage ensue. The riders had 
dismounted at the commencement, and trudged up the 
pass on foot. There was a huge rock upon the side of 
the path, that resembled a toad to the life. It seemed 
the Cerberus of the spot. We could scarcely relieve 
ourselves of the idea of its veritable existence, for in so 
wild, so strange, so unearthly a place, we would not 
have wondered at anything. 

We again noticed the Sinaitic inscriptions upon the 
rocks along the Nukb. On reaching the summit of the 
pass, the high mountain walls still rising precipitously 
on either side, we all looked eagerly upon a frowning 
height before us, still two hours in advance. It was a 
dark high cliff of porphyry, that ended heavenward in 
jagged peaks, and seemed a mighty flame transformed 
to rock. We looked long and silently — we looked 
with beating hearts and burning thoughts — it was 
Sinai ! The laugh and jest were thrown aside, and we 
felt awed before the sacred mountain, where the 
Almighty had displayed his glory to man. We thought 
of the words that fell on the ear of Moses on that very 
mount, " Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the 
place whereon thou standest is holy ground." The 
same solemn words now sounded to our hearts, and 
we felt this was indeed holy ground, where Jehovah 
had appeared to Israel, clothed in all the terrors of the 
God of Justice, and where again he had disclosed him 



170 



ARRIVAL AT SISAL 



self to his prophet Elijah, in the still small voice of the 
God of Mercy. 

The descent of the south side of the pass is but 
trifling, compared with the ascent of the northern. 
In descending, our ears caught the grateful sound 
of falling water, and we turned our eyes towards the 
point whence the sound came. A beautiful cascade 
w r as leaping among the cliffs upon our right, yielding 
us the most delightful welcome we could have desired. 
We shortly passed a fountain, and were now upon the 
great plain Er-Rahah, where Israel had encamped 
before the mount. Ascending a slightly inclined plane, 
we reached the water-shed, and saw, by the side of the 
dark Sinai, in a retired ravine upon its left, the walls 
of the renowned convent which, for more than 1300 
years, has kept solitary watch in this rocky wild. Our 
course was directly towards these walls, and in an 
hour and twenty minutes from the summit of the pass, 
we entered the narrow and difficult defile in which the 
convent stands. After twenty .minutes of the roughest 
travel, we reached the building, which, with its gardens 
of loveliest green, was an unspeakable luxury to our 
eyes, that had been all day wearied with desolation. 



€§t Mtstti nf $hai. 



THE CONVENT AND ITS INMATES ASCENT OF JEBEL MOUSA AND 

SUFSAFEH WALK AROUND THE MOUNTAIN DEPARTURE FROM 

SINAI MONKISH TREATMENT DESERT GROWTH THE GULF OF 

AKABAH. 

The convent presents, in exterior, a plain wall of 
dusky stone, here and there supported by irregular 
buttresses. Before a window in the eastern wall pro- 
jects a portico, from which is lowered a hook, by which 
the visitor is introduced to the monkish hospitality. 
Our camels were all collected beneath the walls, and 
there was a busy time in unloading and entering our 
baggage. The ladies were taken in by a doorway in 
the back of the convent, while the gentlemen were 
hoisted as luggage into the midst of a crowd of monks 
within the window. When all were safely entered, 
our Bedawin salaamed us, and wound down the ravine 
on their return to Feiran, after an agreement to be in 
readiness for our further travel after four days' inter- 
val. On the north-east corner flies the red flag of the 
convent, having on it the design of the burning bush. 



172 



THE CONVENT. 



We were shown comfortable, clean rooms, that 
looked out upon the convent garden, which, with the 
help of our own beds, were most admirably suited for 
our sojourn. But one monk seemed to care aught for 
us, and he appeared to fill the office of waiter or cham- 
berman to the establishment. The rest passed us as 
if we were old residents ; indeed our whole stay in the 
convent differed nothing from life in our own house. 
No deference was shown to us, and we showed none 
in return. We found the monks not at all attractive, 
rather dirty, and apparently illiterate. The convent 
is an irregular square, built on the debris, at the 
very foot of Mount Sinai. As this debris is inclined, 
the walls upon the mountain side are more elevated 
than those upon the opposite side, though their height 
from the foundation appears the same, about thirty-five 
feet. 

There are three entrances — the pulley-window above 
mentioned, which is about twenty-five feet from the 
ground; the low doorway on the mountain side by which 
females enter ; and a subterranean passage upon the 
north side, which leads under an open space to the 
garden. From some miniature port-holes a few pigmy 
cannon peep out, whose report would frighten the 
monks as much as the Arabs. Within the walls is a 
confused mass of buildings, differing in height, archi- 
tecture, and in exposure ; moreover, corridors and 
wooden staircases innumerable, terraces and railings, 
court-yards and crooked passages, so promiscuously 
huddled as to defy the most skilful draughtsman to at- 
tempt a sketch of its plan. There is the workmanship 
of Justinian's age, in close companionship with yester- 
day's repairs ; and by the side of the Greek church 
rises the minaret of a Mohammedan mosque ! 

The church is pretty but tawdry, abounding in em- 



ST. CATHERINE. 



173 



broidered hangings, mosaic floors, tables inlaid with 
tortoise shell and mother of pearl, old-fashioned gilt 
pictures of saints, and other bright ornaments. Over 
the niche at the end of the church is a very old mosaic 
of the Transfiguration. In a coffin, just within the 
choir, are the head and hand of St. Catharine, which 
wei»e duly displayed to us amid clouds of incense and 
a quantum of chanting — the monks and a Greek ser- 
vant of our number devoutly kissing the old skull. The 
coffin was of sculptured white marble, richly covered 
with satins. After being supplied all around with pew- 
ter rings taken from the tomb, (for which good silver 
coin was substituted), the lid was shut down, and the 
incense and chanting rapidly subsided. This St. 
Catharine was an Alexandrian virgin, who was mar- 
tyred in the reign of the giant Emperor Maximin. 
about the year 236. By some peculiar concatenation 
of circumstances, her body was found upon the moun- 
tain, now called by her name, in the neighbourhood of 
Sinai. The holy monks, who even at that early period 
had a sort of monastery here, piously laid her bones 
in their chapel. These relics seem to have got into 
Justinian's convent afterwards, and they are still the 
principal articles in the relic line of which the convent 
boasts, though a crowd of holy bones besides these 
are to be seen in the charnel-house. 

We waited to hear the Greek service performed, 
and found it formal, uninteresting, and irreverent, at 
least as far as its performance at Sinai was a specimen. 
Behind the church is the chapel of the Burning Bush. 
We entered in stocking feet from the church, and found 
it a carpeted room, hung with scores of gilded portraits 
of old saints. The bush (identical, on the word of a 
monk !) is still seen growing without the walls of the 
church. 



MOSQUE SERVICE. 



We also attended service in the mosque. This 
mosque was built to get the right side of the Arabs. 
The service was conducted by my Ibrahim ; the con- 
gregation was composed of our other Moslem servants. 
Ibrahim made a capital Imam, and the solemn guttural 
voices of the responses in the dusky twilight had a far 
more solemn effect than the misnamed Christian jab- 
ber to which we had listened in the church. 

The library of the convent is full of old Greek 
tomes and some valuable manuscripts, which, I fancy, 
the monks seldom trouble. On the shelves I found a 
familiar-looking volume, in the shape of Stephens' 
Incidents of Travel, which must be worse than Hebrew 
to the brethren, who probably find a consolation for 
their ignorance of its letter-press by enjoying the en- 
gravings. 

The refectory is a plain room, with arched ceiling. 
A long table extends down the apartment. This table 
is furnished with drawers at every seat, where the holy 
brethren place their surplus provision after each meal, 
from which stock they draw as hunger dictates. At 
one end of the refectory is an altar and pictures of very 
forlorn aspect, and on the side of the room is a pulpit, 
from which some member of the fraternity mingles 
mental food with their physical nourishment during 
their repast. Near the pulpit is a set of book-shelves, 
where the literary dishes are preserved. Several cru- 
ciform lamps hang from the ceiling — these are orna- 
mented with what appear to be ostrich eggs. 

The cells of the monks are commodious but shock- 
ingly filthy, and send forth an odour most forbidding. 
In one we saw a brother one hundred and two years 
of age, and in another one of one hundred and five 
years, both hale, and polite in their salutation. A 
greater curiosity of longevity was the monk described 



LONGEVITY OF THE MONKS. 



175 



by Stephens ; he was one hundred and twenty years 
old, and had been more than seventy years in the con- 
vent ! Though in decided dotage, he did not appear 
older than a man of eighty. The pure, dry air of this 
Sinai region must be the cause of this longevity : it is 
not seen so greatly among the Bedawin, because of 
their hardships and condition of semi-starvation ; the 
monks, well provided with food, have no drawback to 
their vegetation, and seem only to die because weary 
of so long a life. 

The charnel-house in the garden is a doleful spot. 
Placed in the midst of the loveliest foliage, it deepens 
in horror by the contrast. Bones and skulls, remnants 
of a dozen centuries, are piled on all sides ; some of 
peculiar sanctity are placed in baskets and labelled. 
One skull and breast-bone thus placed was labelled 
" St. Stephen." It was the fragment of some old dirty 
monk, probably, who had said more Kyrie eleesons 
and pater-emons than his fellows, and obtained his re- 
ward in the honours of posthumous saintship. His 
bony neck still was hung with the rosary which he had 
worn while in life. The souls of his prayers had fled, 
leaving the beads of the rosary as their forsaken bodies, 
which kept fit company with his silent skeleton. Some 
of the honoured dead were laid out in long boxes. 
Among these were the remains of two Persian princes, 
and in the box that held their bones were the iron 
chains they wore when on their pilgrimage to Sinai. 
Iron collars and pilgrims' staffs, that had of old been 
inseparable companions of ignorant humanity, were 
now resting peaceably with the wrecks of that humani- 
ty. In spite of the incense which was burnt profusely 
by our attendant monk, the effluvia from the bodies 
was very offensive, and we gladly exchanged the 
noxious vapours of the charnel-house for the odorous 



■ 



176 



CATACOMBS. 



groves of almonds and olives that graced the garden. 
There is a rough gardener's house and a white stucco 
well-temple within the enclosure. Besides the almond 
and olive trees, are grape vines, apple trees, cypresses, 
and other trees of greenest leaf ; and beneath these 
grow various sorts of grain and vegetables. All this 
verdure springs from soil brought on camels from the 
valley of the Nile ! 

The convent of Mount Sinai was built by Justinian, 
in 527 ; but a chapel erected by the relic-gatherer 
Helena^ is said to have stood there for two hundred 
years previous. Of course, the building has received 
repairs and alterations innumerable, the last of which 
were made by Kleber, during the French invasion of 
Egypt. Its strength, as well as the sanctity of the 
spot, has doubtless prevented its attack or capture by 
the Arabs. It is now, in part, a Botany Bay for mis- 
behaving friars of the Greek church. We saw one 
monk who had been transported thither for calumni- 
ating the Patriarch of Constantinople ; another had 
been a notorious murderer. We may thus be pre- 
pared for a little laxity in their morals, which other- 
wise might reflect unhappily upon the Greek church. 
The brethren (who numbered, at our visit, twenty-five) 
seem to spend their time in sleeping, lounging, pray- 
ing, and making date preserves and araki. The date 
preserves are a compound of dates and almonds, well 
compressed and enclosed in leather envelopes tightly 
sewed. The araki is a strong intoxicating liquor made 
from the date, and well affected by the monkish com- 
munity. Several times in the twenty-four hours the 
monks assembled at services, to each of which a 
sounded triangle served to summon the worshippers ; 
most unpleasantly to us, this noisy instrument would 
discourse its music every night at 1 o'clock, when ser- 



ASCENT OF SINAI. 



177 



vice was probably held as penance for the sins of the 
day. The servants of the convent are the Jebeliyeh, 
whom the Bedawin will not recognize as of the same 
race, and who are, as before remarked, thought to be 
the desendants of the Christian servants sent origin- 
ally to the convent by Justinian. They are similar 
to the Bedawin in colour, language, and religion (or 
non-religion), with whom they have probably inter- 
mingled. 

The 20th of April, 1849, was to me a memorable 
day,— a day spent in investigating a locality of the most 
thrilling interest, a locality which, if any part of earth 
may be esteemed sacred, may layjustest claim to that 
title. Two monks acted as our guides, and six Arabs 
of the Jebeliyeh carried our provisions, our Bibles, and 
our writing materials. We issued from the back door 
of the convent, where the ascent commenced imme- 
diately over the debris of the mountain. Very soon, 
the path became a rude sort of staircase of large 
stones, facilitating the progress, which, however, is 
still fatiguing, and conducts the traveller up a steep 
defile, or water-course. In seventeen minutes we 
reached the Fountain Mayan el Jebel, one of the sweet- 
est springs on earth, retired in a small cave, and girt 
with softest green. We drank of the refreshing cool 
water, and then continued the weary ascent. In an- 
other half hour we gained the chapel of the Virgin — a 
rude stone hut, containing a corresponding rude paint- 
ing of the Virgin. Five minutes further, we passed 
under a stone gateway, where the path is just suffi- 
ciently wide to allow one person to pass at a time. 
Still five minutes further, is another such gateway. 
These were formerly spots where the monks took trib- 
ute from the ascending pilgrims. Just beyond this 
second gateway is the tall cypress of Mt. Sinai, sur- 



178 



TRADITIONARY SPOTS. 



rounded by a stone wall, and near it is a cistern of rain- 
water and a small pond. Nails and spikes are driven 
into the tree, at intervals, to facilitate climbing. The 
tree is about eight feet in circumference at the dis- 
tance of five feet from the ground. It stands in a small 
basin, well fitted to receive the winter rains. 

Not far from this is the chapel of Elijah, another 
rude structure of stone, with two apartments ; one is 
said to have been Elijah's sleeping-place ! At length, 
after a climbing of an hour and a quarter, we reached 
the summit of Jebel Mousa, the highest peak of Sinai. 
Two rude stone buildings occupy the summit, bearing 
the lofty titles of mosque and church, in spite of their 
insignificance. Of course the monks would testify on 
oath that the church is built exactly upon the spot 
where God gave the tables of stone to Moses, and 
the Mohammedans would do the same regarding the 
mosque. That God gave Moses the tables of stone 
here is highly probable ; but the northern peak of 
Sufsafeh is undoubtedly the spot where 44 the Lord 
came down in the sight of all the people" and orally 
delivered the law ; for, from Sufsafeh, the great plain 
El Rahah is clearly seen below, while from this summit 
not a portion of it is visible. We spent an hour on 
the roof of the little church-entitled hut, and there read 
the law of God. The view was sublime in desolation. 
On all sides rose the dark jagged peaks of the moun- 
tains of Horeb — a tempest-tossed sea of rocky cliffs, 
possessing not one blade of verdure that could relieve 
the eye. 

Anxious to reach Sufsafeh, as the most probable 
site of the giving of the Law, we left the summit of 
Jebel Mousa, and passed down the peak to the back- 
bone of the mountain that ran northward to the other 
height of Sufsafeh. Close to the summit of Jebel 



SUFSAFEII. 



179 



Mousa is a small cave, just sufficiently large to contain 
a prostrate man, and having in its side a small window- 
like opening. This (say the infallible monks) is the 
cave in which Moses lay when God revealed himself to 
him, as " the Lord, merciful and gracious." Further 
down the peak is shown the print of Mohammed's 
camel's foot, which was w r ont to use mountains as 
stepping-stones in travelling on the earth ! In fifteen 
minutes from the summit we again reached the cypress. 
Continuing thence north-westerly along the uneven 
back of the mountain, over huge masses of rock, and 
through little green spots where brooks rippled by, we 
reached (in about half an hour from the cypress) an- 
other rude stone hut, which our guide termed " the 
Chapel of John the Baptist," but which is called by 
Dr. Robinson " the Chapel of the Virgin of the Zone." 
The little chapel which Dr. R. calls the " Chapel of 
John the Baptist," (and which we had passed nearer 
the cypress,) my guide termed the " Chapel of 
Gregorius." From our " Chapel of the Baptist" 
the ascent was excessively steep and rough, up a 
fearful defile of monstrous rocks — then came the last 
climb, almost perpendicular, exceedingly difficult, and 
not without danger ; this brought us to the summit of 
Sufsafeh, in one hour and twelve minutes from the 
cypress tree. This extreme difficulty of access (while 
the other peak is very accessible) makes me think that 
though Sufsafeh was probably the spot where the Lord 
descended in the sight of the people, and gave the 
Law, yet the other summit was the site of the frequent 
interviews between God and Moses ; it may be object- 
ed that, at the time of one of these interviews, " the 
sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire 
on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of 
Israel" But we suppose this fire enveloped the whole 



180 



THUNDER-STORM AT SINAI. 



summit, including both peaks, and then the children of 
Israel below could have seen that which appeared 
about Sufsafeh ; and if the appearance of flame extend- 
ed to a great height, they could also see that above 
Jebel Mousa. 

In this hypothesis, the little basin, where the cypress 
stands, will be the spot where Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, 
and the seventy elders of Israel beheld the glory of 
God (See Exodus xxiv. 9, 12). From Sufsafeh, the 
whole plain of Er-Rahah was seen at our feet, and a 
large part of the broad Wady Sheikh, abundant room 
for the encampment of all Israel. For the rest, the 
view was as from Jebel Mousa, wild and grand to fear- 
fulness. No spot on earth could have been selected so 
awfully impressive and so exactly adapted to the pro- 
mulgation of God's law — the stern, unyielding law 
which declared, that " the soul that sinneth, it shall 
die ! " These rugged mountain precipices of blackened 
rock seemed to frown a blasting curse on man, and 
echoed hoarsely the mighty thunders of Heaven which 
proclaimed a law too holy for human nature to endure. 
Thus did Nature yield her correspondent terrors at this 
display of Divine justice and power. So, at Olivet, 
when a risen Saviour was ascending to present his suc- 
cessful intercessions at the throne of God — to add the 
last link in that chain of mercy that bound the sinning 
race of man to Heaven's throne, in spite of the broken 
law of Sinai — then was Nature smiling in her loveliness, 
— the olive and the fig grew green upon that beautiful 
mountain, — fields of yellow grain and many-coloured 
flowers waved cheerfully on Olivet, and the soft scenery 
of Palestine greeted the delighted eye. When we look 
upon the dreary peaks of Sinai, the Mount of Olives 
must form the background ; then can we bear the 
sight and even touch the awful mountain. On this 



WALK AROUND SINAI. 



181 



hallowed summit I wrote a copy of the law of God ; 
and while my pen was tracing the words on the very 
spot where first they had been uttered, and that by 
God's own voice, the thunder crashed above my head, 
and a hundred cliffs took up the echo. A thunder- 
storm on Sinai ! We were overpowered with the 
coincidence, and felt as if the voice of God had not 
yet died away from that sacred height, but muttered 
still the terrors of the law. 

After a long and unspeakably delightful stay upon 
Sufsafeh, we descended the mountain by a more direct 
route, and reached the convent in an hour and five 
minutes. The next day we took the same monkish 
and Arabic escort, and made the complete circuit of the 
Holy Mountain. We passed down the rough Wady 
Shueib, in which the convent stands, to the great plain, 
then westward along the face of Sinai (which is here 
a mountain " that can be touched " while the person 
stands upon the plain) to the western side. Wady 
Ledja here enters the plain, and at its mouth are two 
pretty gardens belonging to the monks. Turning up 
the wady, which is an exceeding rough defile, we 
soon reached a huge detached rock^ evidently fallen 
from the cliffs above. This is called by the monks 
" the rock of Moses," and the mark of water is piously 
shown upon its face. This mark appeared to us a 
vein in the rock, In an hour and forty-three minutes 
we reached the deserted convent, El Arbain, or " of 
the Forty," so called from the murder of the forty 
monks who once inhabited it ; the legend is some four 
hundred years old. A fine garden or tree-conserve 
surrounds it, where grow poplars as well as many kinds 
of fruit trees, and pretty brooks murmur pleasantly 
among the verdure. A few Jebeliyeh attend to the 
garden, but no monks reside here. We had intended 
13 



182 



DEPARTURE FROM SIXAL 



the ascent of Jebel Katherin, but as the monks assured 
us that we would not have time for the ascent that day, 
we reluctantly gave it up and continued our circuit of 
Sinai. Keeping on, therefore, along Wady Ledja, we 
reached the southern extremity of the mountain, which 
we found here bounded by gravel hills, over which a 
rough way conducted us to the convent wady. We 
reached the convent in two hours from El Arbain, 
having found the entire circuit of the mountain a 
walk of three hours and forty-three minutes. 

The time fixed for our sojourn having transpired, we 
were busied on the morning of the 23d April in pre- 
paration for departure. The camels were heard groan- 
ing before the walls, the Arabs were vociferating as 
usual, and we were making our last arrangements with 
the monkish landlords. At length we were let down by 
the pulley, and greeted enthusiastically by the merry- 
faced Besharah. He kissed me over and over again, 
and rubbed his gray wiry beard against my cheek most 
pitilessly. We found sixty camels in attendance, and 
on inquiry, learned that these were to accompany us 
for that day's journey only, and in the evening a choice 
should be made by the Sheikhs of those desired for the 
remaining way to Akabah. At a quarter past two, we 
re-commenced our camel-riding, amid reiterated cries 
for " backsheesh " on the part of the Jebeliyeh, and 
proceeded down the defile. At its entrance upon the 
plain is an Arab cemetery, of no pretensions. From 
it our guides had taken sand on our way to the con- 
vent, and placed it upon the camels' heads, as a charm 
of some sort. The plain was covered with the red 
wild poppy, which we were told was good food for the 
camels. Entering the great Wady Sheikh, (which 
here runs eastward, and then bends around by a large 
curve to the spot where we had before seen it,) we rode 



SHEIKH SALIH'S TOMB. 



183 



slowly on past the cliffs of the companion-mountains 
of Sinai, and, in two hours from the plain, reached the 
tomb of Sheikh Salih, who is said to have been a Syrian 
prophet. From hina the wady derives its name of 
" Sheikh." The tomb is a square stone building, with 
a pyramidal roof. The coffin within is surrounded by 
a wooden partition, and covered with rags of various 
colours. I followed our Bedawin into the tomb. As 
they entered they kissed the door-post ; they then 
prostrated themselves before the coffin, kissed it, and 
muttered a prayer ; then taking up a handful of the 
sand from within, they sprinkled it upon their own 
heads and upon the heads of the camels, and even 
treated us to a small shower. A short distance beyond 
this tomb we encamped for the night. On encamping, 
Hassan, one of our Egyptian servants, an excellent 
fellow, was missing. No one had seen him on the 
march, and we were at a loss to imagine the cause of 
his absence. While thus perplexed, we saw Hassan 
enter the camp, followed by a monk. The poor 
Egyptian was bleeding badly from the head, his back 
was much bruised, and his elbow and knee were severely 
cut. Some Jebeliyeh of the convent had also arrived 
with Hassan, and I immediately inquired of them the 
cause of his wounds. Their story was this : that the 
monks had been dissatisfied with our pay, and took 
advantage of Hassan's being the last in the convent, to 
extort more money from him. He had emptied his 
pockets for them, but still they were unsatisfied, and 
finding no chance of obtaining their satisfaction in 
cash, they took it out in belabouring most unmerci- 
fully the unfortunate servant, and nearly murdered him, 
before their fun was complete. Hassan confirmed this 
story, and shortly after became delirious. I straight- 
way accosted the monk, and finding his statements 



184 



THE TERRIBLE WILDERNESS. 



most manifestly false, and bordering on impudence, I 
walked him out of the camp, and bade him be aware 
that the insult offered us by his convent would be duly 
reported to higher authority. Poor Hassan had his 
wounds bathed in brandy, but recovered slowly. Every 
day his forlorn appearance on his camel would excite 
our sympathy, for his obliging disposition had won our 
hearts. A Christian convent was the last spot whence 
an attack had been expected in the desert, yet we found 
better treatment among the wild Bedawin, than within 
the walls of the would-be sacred monastery. 

A great number of Arabs gathered about our tents 
that night, and we feared mischief, but Besharah as- 
sured us that they were all Towarah, and were friend- 
ly ; thus encouraged, we slept none the worse. The 
next day brought us out of the Sinaitic region to a 
small pass called Ojret el Furas, where some heaps of 
stone were the remnants of rude fortifications con- 
structed by the Bedawin in some ancient battle. We 
had passed (near Wady Sheikh, from which we turned 
soon after the morning' start) a small garden enclosure 
watered by the slightly brackish fountain of Aboo 
Suweirah, and again (much later in the day) had 
passed over a wide opening that was filled with large 
acacias, of the size of full grown apple trees. From 
Wady Orfan we had looked back upon the Sinai 
group, to which we were then bidding a final farewell. 
The two cliffs of Urn Lauz and Urn Alawy stood as 
sentinels before the sacred region. The first part of 
the day's journey was among high porphyritic cliffs, 
which gradually changed to low and rounder hills, — 
mountains, however, bounding the prospect on all 
sides. The next day's experience bore testimony to 
the truth of the words of Moses in calling this region, 
after leaving Sinai, that great and terrible wilder- 



TREES OF THE DESERT. 



185 



ness" (Deut. i. 19). Dr. Robinson terms it a "fright- 
ful desert." It was a waste of limestone and sand, 
fearfully dreary, and which, in a hot sun, must make 
the journey almost intolerably oppressive. Fortu- 
nately, we had a cool, cloudy day for the passage, and 
were enabled to support the trial. In two hours from 
Ojret el Furas, we passed Sinai tic inscriptions, with 
rude carvings of camels and goats, exactly the same 
as in Wady Mokatteb. This rebuts the idea of their 
existence only west of Sinai. Two hours further, a 
very peculiar fort-like rock is situated in the centre of 
an expansion of the wady (Wady S'kah), and on it 
are more of the rude carvings of camels. This strange 
rock bears the name of "Huzaybet Hejaj." Near this 
I saw two ravens and a vulture. The day before, I 
had seen a beautiful green bird, of the size of a ground- 
thrush. These, and the singing birds of Wady Feiran, 
were the only kinds we saw in the desert. Of quad- 
rupeds, we had only found the hyaena and the gazelle, 
unless we mention the lizard. Of trees, the Tiihl and 
Seyal, both acacias, were the most frequent. They 
are of diminutive and scraggy growth, much resem- 
bling in size and shape small apple trees. The Seyal 
has the smoother bark, and from it is derived the gum 
Arabic. The Nakhl or Palm is seen only by foun- 
tains, and generally appears of stunted growth. The 
Ddm Palm I only observed in Wady Taba, on the Red 
Sea, opposite Akabah. The Nebbek grows in Wady 
Feiran, and produces a palatable fruit resembling a 
light-coloured cherry, and having an apple taste. This 
fruit is dried and ground by the Arabs, and then used 
like flour. Of herbs, the Desert of Arabia Petraea has 
a plenty, scattered in the various wadys, where they 
are supported by the annual income of rain. Of these, 



186 



HERBS OF THE DESERT. 



the Turf a or Tamarisk is the most abundant, a pine- 
like bush, from which the Arabian manna is obtained. 
In the Great Wady el Arabah, between the Dead and 
Red Seas, is found a plant called Ertah, very much 
resembling this Turfa. The Ret em or Broom plant, is 
also of frequent occurrence, a very similar bush, being 
the juniper of our English Bible, under which Elijah 
rested. The Abeitharan and Rimth are two similar 
low, straggling shrubs of very strong pitchy odour, and 
resembling some of our winter-greens. The Sillee is 
a short shrub that bears green thorns at the extremity 
of each twig. The Umrara, found in the Arabah, is a 
thorny plant, and bears a flower like clover. The 
Turbeh, a small shrub with flowers like Forget-me- 
nots, abounds in the Arabah. All these above-named 
plants are eagerly eaten by the camels. Then there 
are the Address, having gray leaves and a button-like 
flower, with thorns projecting from the flower ; the 
Sakkaran, with a flower like the morning-glory ; the 
Ussher or Mulbeiny, resembling the laurel or magnolia 
(found in Wady Ghuraleh) ; the Salla-Mekka, a low 
shrub with leaves like those of the locust tree; (it bears 
a bean which is used as a purgative, and is exported for 
that purpose) ; the Hemath, having the taste of sorrel ; 
the Murkh, a tall bush ; the Guzzooly, a coarse grass ; 
the Goordhy (eaten by camels) ; the Dahamee ; the 
Sabbah ; the Adam, and the Handal or Colocynth, a 
vine. These are the principal growth of the desert; 
the names were given me directly by the Arabs on the 
spot, and immediately recorded. A great peculiarity 
of most of these herbs is their strong flavour, which 
seems to be particularly pleasing to the camel. It 
was upon them that our camels lived entirely ; they 
grow immediately out of the sand, in the beds of water- 



COAST MOUNTAINS. 



187 



courses, and are detached from one another, thus con- 
tributing but little to relieve the barren aspect of the 
ground. 

After passing over the dreary tract above described, 
we entered among the mountains that skirt the sea, a 
part of the same range that bound the Dead Sea on the 
west, and run uninterruptedly for two hundred miles 
to the extreme southern point of the Sinai peninsula. 
These mountains form the western boundary not only 
of the Dead Sea but also of the great valley of the 
Arabah, and of the Gulf of Akabah, thus constituting 
the grand bulwark of the highlands of the desert of Et- 
Tih. Where we entered this range, the height of the 
mountains was probably a thousand feet. We passed 
along Wady Ghuzaleh to Wady Wettir, the whole 
way lying amid these noble heights. The last 
mentioned wady is a large drain to the desert, and 
down it we journeyed to the sea. Some of. the scenes 
in Wady Ghuzaleh were remarkably wild ; on all sides 
rose precipitous cliffs of a dark reddish-brown, capped 
by a lighter coloured stratum, and here and there a 
steep inclined plane, of red debris, marked the course 
of some winter torrent from its source among the bleak 
summits, and a few stunted seyal trees appeared in the 
dry bed, sustained by the yearly flow. In Wady el- 
Ain, we saw palm trees and water just before its en- 
trance into the Wady Ghuzaleh, in which we were 
travelling. This water passes along the latter wady, 
and is filled with a green water-moss, which probably 
accounts for its bad taste. It runs in quite a large 
stream. 

Both Ghuzaleh and Wettir, and especially the latter, 
abound in fine bold scenery. One pass in Wettir was 
remarkably grand, being exceedingly narrow, and 
sided by stupendous cliffs of the dark rock. When we 



188 



THE SEA OF SOLOMON'S NAVY. 



reached the sea, we could scarcely discern the other 
shore from the quantity of sand that filled the air, yet 
we could look with strange feelings upon the sea that 
once hore the navies of Solomon, and was whitened 
by his merchant-fleets on their way to Ophir and the 
Indies. 



€$t $mtt nf ^arntt attii f kahajn 

SEA-BEACH— ISLAND OF KUREIA—AKAB AH— SHEIKH HOSSEIN- 
CONSULTATIONS— DESPONDENCY— DELAYS— DEPARTURE. 

Ain el Nuweiby is a pretty palm grove and foun- 
tain belonging to the Terabin, and situated an hour 
north of Wady Wettir, upon the shore. Here Sheikh 
Suleiman was killed when conducting Dr. Fisk, an 
account of which is given in the work of Dr. F. The 
sheikh's tomb is situated some distance up the inclina- 
tion that extends from the mountains to the sea. It is 
a small rude stone tomb, about eighteen inches high 
within, and hung (as usual) with rags. The Arabs 
who went up to it muttered prayers and threw stones 
upon the tomb, and some placed sprigs of herbs upon 
it. For two days we skirted the sea — the beach 
abounding in shells and coral. One projecting rock, 
El Wasileh, was shown us, as a former look-out of 
great importance to the Bedawin to watch against sur- 
prise from hostile tribes. At Abu Suweira we passed 
a few palms, some bushes, and a brackish spring. The 
deep blue sea and the tall cloud-capped mountains of 
the opposite coast formed an untiring scene of beauty. 
A slight haze gave the other shore the appearance of 
softest green, and we eagerly nursed the delusion. We 
could see the palms of Hakl, a little station of the 
pilgrim caravan, close by the water on the other side, 



190 



THE SEA-BEACH. 



about nine miles distant. We picked up a large variety 
of shells ; there were the large conch-shells and scollop- 
shells, and an immense variety of smaller species. 
White and red coral abounded, from the latter of which 
some have derived the name of the sea. A host of 
small shell-fish were actively coursing over the sand, 
and among them crabs from one to five inches in 
length. There were also remains of lobsters, well 
bleached. The crabs had deep round holes in the 
sand, down which they would precipitately tumble at 
our approach ; the sand thrown out of these holes 
formed little cones, and presented a very odd appear- 
ance. Several trunks of palm trees were thrown up 
by the waves. A thin pudding-stone formation close 
to the water appeared often upon the beach, and small 
fragments of a gray granite were seen, but whence 
they came is a problem. There was scarcely any sea- 
weed upon the whole shore, a want that rendered the 
beach of peculiar neat and clean appearance. Swal- 
lows were skimming the water and cutting the air in 
all directions, snipe chirped and ran along the edge of 
the sea, and crows here there found some booty 
worthy their attention. We noticed the tracks of 
some very large birds, showing a foot of five inches in 
extent when spread ; and the jackals had also left their 
footprints along the sand. The mountains, 1500 feet 
in height, sometimes approached the sea so nearly as 
scarcely to allow space for our passage, and again 
would retire for a distance of one or two miles. The 
level of the beach would here and there be interrupted 
by the high inclined planes of the descending wadys. 
The only occasion of our leaving the sea between our 
arrival upon its shore and Akabah, was about eight 
hours before reaching the latter place. For two hours 
we travelled behind projecting mountains, before which 



ISLAND OF KUREIA. 



191 



there was no passage-way (at least so the Arabs 
affirmed). In this back road we crossed two severe 
passes, where our camels laboured with great difficulty, 
and where we were very fearful of their complete ex- 
haustion. On reaching the sea again, Akabah was in 
sight, on the opposite shore, near the head of the gulf. 
A long row of palm groves by the waterside marked 
the spot. We shortly came opposite the islet of 
Kureia or Graya, situated about a quarter of a mile 
from the shore, in a small bay, and crowned with a 
ruined fortress of crusading days. Opposite Akabah, 
we found low mud hills as outworks in front of the 
mountain range. Turning the corner of the sea, we 
passed along its head, on a pebbly beach about three 
miles long. The beach becomes sandy nearer Akabah, 
and here the mounds of Elath or Ailah are passed. 
Turning again at the north-east corner of the sea, and 
advancing southward for five minutes, we reached our 
encamping ground beneath the palms, between the 
castle of Akabah and the water. 

Akabah consists of this castle, some dozen miserable 
huts, a long array of palms, and some poorly managed 
gardens. These gardens are cultivated by a sort of 
Jebeliyeh, who form the principal population, and an 
Egyptian governor resides in the castle, though Egypt 
has but slender rule in this wilderness. The Alawin 
appear to be the dominant Bedawee tribe in this region, 
and their head-quarters are in the mountains east of 
the great valley of the Arabah — the Scriptural moun- 
tains of Seir, now called " Es-Sherah." The castle of 
Akabah is said to have been built by El-Ghoree, one 
of the last independent Memlook Sultans of Egypt, 
about the year 1500. It is an oblong quadrangle, con- 
taining an open court. On each corner is a tower, 
those on the east corners being round, and those on 



192 



AEABAH. 



the west octagonal. On the north side is the gate, of 
imposing character, ornamented with two round towers. 
A series of chambers, one story high, ranged along 
the interior of the walls, form the accommodations of 
the edifice ; and over them, upon their roof, are erected 
wretched huts as additional house-room. The mate- 
rial of the fortress is a light stone, each stone being 
about a foot square. The walls are about twenty-five 
feet in height — somewhat higher on the east side. A 
bulwark of four feet in height surrounds the top, and 
in this are cut loop-holes. On the east and north 
sides the stones of every alternate layer are painted 
red, presenting the striped appearance of some of the 
Cairo mosques. Two sorry looking cannon seem to 
be the entire artillery force of the castle, and these 
would require the combined powers of the whole gar- 
rison (who, in my reckoning, numbered five men and 
their families) to discharge. The interior of this for- 
midable fortress is ricketty and filthy beyond belief. 
Women, children, and cattle are mingled together 
in a sea of pollution. I hurried through them to 
reach the battlements, and as hurriedly made my escape, 
feeling as if some gaunt pestilence was at my side. 
Before the castle are a number of dirty mud and stone 
huts huddled together, where vegetate the squalid citi- 
zens of Akabah. There are, perhaps, a hundred of 
these characters, of mixed Bedawin and Egyptian race. 

The castle is entirely behind the palms, and has no 
trees in its immediate neighbourhood. From this 
northward extends a range of mounds at the termina- 
tion of a high inclined bed of a wady that comes 
down from the eastern mountains, here a mile or two 
distant. Are not these the mounds of Ezion-Geber ? 

The mounds of Elath are seen at the head of the 
sea. Elath means " Strength," and was probably a 



EZION"-GEBER. 



193 



stronghold to guard the navigation of the sea. Solo- 
mon used it as a port (2 Chron. viii. 17) ; and after him 
we find Jehoshaphat mentioned as building ships at the 
neighbouring town of Ezion-Geber (2 Chron. xx. 36), 
From the fact that Elath is not mentioned here, it is 
probable that it was one of the fenced cities that Shis- 
hak had previously taken, (2 Chron. xii, 4), and pro- 
bably destroyed. Again, we are told (2 Chron, xxvi. 2,) 
that Uzziah rebuilt Elath, and again made it a city of 
Judah. Then the Syrians obtained possession of it in 
the reign of Ahaz. After this, we hear no more of this 
city in Scripture — it probably fell into the hands of 
Pharaoh Nechoh, in the days of Josiah, and then fol- 
lowed the regular round of subjection to Babylon, 
Persia, Greece, and Rome. Under the latter empires, 
it became " Ailah." Then came Moslem rule, and the 
episode of the crusaders. Under Moslem power it 
soon dwindled to non-existence, except in its confused 
ruins. 

So much for Elath — but where is Ezion-Geber ? No 
one pretends to say. We know it was close to Elath 
(Deut. ii. 8 ; 1 Kings ix. 26 ; 2 Chron. viii. 17), and pro- 
bably in Solomon's and Jehoshaphat's days, it had 
superior advantages to Elath as a port. — (See 1 Kings 
ix. 26 ; 2 Chron. xx. 36.) Josephus, in narrating the 
fact of Solomon's construction of ships at Ezion-Geber,. 
states that the name of the place in his day was Bere- 
nice ; but this statement throws no light upon its pres- 
ent position. As it existed as late as the days of 
Josephus, and was an important city, we must find its 
mounds as we do those of Elath. Now the only mounds 
near those of Elath, and " on the shore of the Red Sea," 
are those of Akabah ; the conclusion is, therefore, pro- 
bable, that Akabah occupies the exact site of Ezion- 
Geber. 



194 



BEDAWIN WARRIORS. 



Akabah was the limit to which Besharah and the 
Towarahs were to conduct us. Their territory ex- 
tended no further, and here we were to entrust our- 
selves to the great Sheikh Hossein ebn Agad, and the 
fierce Alawin. We had despatched a messenger to 
seek the Sheikh in his mountain fastnesses, and pa- 
tiently awaited his arrival. Meanwhile we retained the 
Towarahs in our service by a bribe, that we might have 
some one on whom to fall back in case of too extor- 
tionate a demand on the part of Hossein. 

We arrived on Saturday, and Sheikh Hossein at 
Monday noon. Meantime, we suffered under the hot 
sun of Akabah by day, and listened to the chirping of a 
myriad crickets by night. Bathing in the sea was a 
great luxury, but then we had to watch sharply against 
sharks. Not a boat disturbs the sea, but the fisherman 
pushes out on a raft of palm logs, and so sits by the 
day beneath a broiling sun. True, I did see boats, and 
such as I did not expect to see in this retired spot. 
They were small toy-boats, with which the children 
played, and were probably importations from the Nile, 
brought by the few Egyptians who here dream away 
life. Fish abound in these waters, and sea fowl are 
plentiful. The afternoon of our arrival, a large body 
of Tiyahah and other Bedawee tribes passed, with a 
booty of 1000 camels, gained in a contest with a tribe 
at three days' distance from Akabah. A few wounded 
warriors appeared among their number, and the camels 
were smeared along their necks with streaks of blood. 
It had been a regular plundering expedition, in which 
the Tiyahah, Terabin, Haiwat, and Haweitat were co- 
partners. This Arabian method of accumulating capital 
has been practised since the days of Chedorlaomer. 
The victors respectfully salaamed us as they passed, 
and went on their way to the division of the spoil. 



DESPONDENCY AT AKABAH. 



195 



I noticed the custom of scooping a hollow in the 
beach-sand, about three feet from the sea, and from this 
procuring fresh water. I tried the water, and found it 
entirely free from salt. This phenomenon is accounted 
for by considering the water thus derived not as pro- 
ceeding from the sea, but as filtered from the moun- 
tains through the intervening sand. 

A few Amran, Wady Mousa, and Alawin Arabs 
were seen wandering among the palms, presenting a 
far wilder appearance than our mild Towarah. 

The messenger whom we had sent for Sheikh Hos- 
sein had left Akabah two days before our arrival there, 
having been dismissed on his errand while we were 
among the Sinai mountains. We had, therefore, ex- 
pected that the Sheikh would have arrived by the time 
of our arrival. We were much disappointed at his 
non-appearance, for we feared detention in the great 
heat. Sunday came, and no Sheikh yet appeared. 
Some told us that Sheikh Hossein had killed a man of 
the Wady Mousa tribe, and dared not go among them 
with us. Others said he was afraid of the com- 
bined tribes that had just passed us. Still another re- 
port was, that the mighty Sheikh had been , giving a 
grand feast to these tribes. Others surmised that he 
was dead. Amid all these sayings, we remained per- 
plexed. Ibrahim had already fallen under the great 
heat, prostrated with a burning fever. His piteous 
groans and lamentations that he should never again 
see his beloved Cairo, were heart-rending. I now felt 
that I had been foolish to venture into the desert. I 
feared that the ladies must soon give way before the 
hot climate, and a host of imagined ills beset my path. 
Hossein's delay added to my anxiety. It might be 
treachery was afloat, and I shuddered at the thought 
of our helpless condition. At length, a council of delibe- 



196 



ARRIVAL OF SHEIKH HOSSEIN. 



ration was held, at which the Egyptian Sub-Governor 
was present, (the Governor himself being absent,) and 
we here concluded to remain till Tuesday morning, in 
expectation of the Sheikh ; if then he had not arrived, 
we should start for Hebron direct, omitting Petra, 
with our Towarah, A Sheikh of the Wady Mousa 
Arabs was present, who offered to take us on to Petra ; 
but we knew that if he took us through the Alawin 
territory, it would be at our peril, and we declined 
his offer. 

To cur great joy, at Monday noon, Sheikh Hossein 
arrived, and was a half hour at the Governor's pre- 
paring himself for an interview. We arranged a tent 
for his reception and the gentlemen of the party there 
assembled. The Sheikh made his appearance in a 
flowing robe of scarlet, and attended by the retinue of 
a prince. We piped and coffeed him — the usual 
oriental preliminary to every business — and, through 
poor, sick Ibrahim, as interpreter, opened negotiations, 
by informing him that we had received the letter sent 
by our English friend to the British Consul in Cairo, 
and were prepared to proceed under his escort to 
Petra, upon the terms that he (Sheikh Hossein) had ( 
therein promised. The Sheikh here interrupted us by 
whispering to Ibrahim that there were entirely too 
many bystanders for the present transaction of busi- 
ness, and proposed a postponement until a more suit- 
able opportunity ; at the same time declaring (as a 
soft lining to our impatience) that his promises to the 
British Consul were truth itself. The cunning old vil- 
lain was anxious to arrange matters with us in privacy, 
that he might swindle his tribe out of their due, by 
foisting upon them the belief of an agreement with us 
for a less price than the reality, the surplus serving as 
a bounty for Hossein's own coffers. His notorious 



DELIBERATIVE COUNCIL. 



197 



rascality and the actual sequel made us thus unchari- 
table in our surmises. 

A few hours afterwards we again met his Highness 
in the tent. Now he was unattended, and we hurried 
on to our desired topic. But sheikhship must always 
be propitiated by pipes and coffee ; and, accordingly, 
we had to stifle our impatience until the due amount 
of introductory tobacco, mocha, and sherbet also had 
been received. This entirely spoiled our secrecy ; for 
the fragrance of the coffee and the Latakiyeh proved 
an irresistible bait to the outside barbarians, and one 
and another slipped in, unbidden, to assist in our 
deliberations. But the Sheikh seemed fearful of 
stretching our long suffering to further limits, and ac- 
cordingly expressed himself ready to hear our requests. 
Thus summoned, I rose, and repeated my former 
demand, whether he was willing to conduct us safely 
to Hebron (via Petra) for the sum mentioned in the 
letter to the British Consul. To our real surprise, the 
pompous gray-beard unhesitatingly assented. These 
terms were 240 piastres (twelve dollars) per camel 
for the whole distance to Syria. The next point was 
the number of camels. Here we struck the first rock. 
I informed Hossein that we wished twenty-five. He 
objected peremptorily, and assured us he would see us 
all in the bottom of the Red Sea (or some equally 
forcible expression) before we should stir northward 
with less than thirty-two, the number with which we 
arrived. I gave him my reasons for the alteration in 
numbers — that then we had three Sheikhs, but now were 
to have only one ; hence two camels were to be de- 
ducted. Again, several water-casks and boxes were to 
be left behind — this would further diminish the number ; 
and lastly, several of our camels had had hitherto but 
half a load — hence there should be still greater diminu- 
14 



198 



ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 



tion. But here the Sheikh had us completely. He 
triumphantly appealed to the written promise, and we 
found, too truly, that there the number of camels to be 
furnished at Akabah had been determined to be the 
same with the number contracted for with the Tow- 
arah at Cairo. Fortunately, we had really contracted 
for twenty-nine at Cairo, the rest having been added 
from necessity after the contract was drawn. We 
showed the contract to the Sheikh, and then appealed 
to the assembly if the deduction of two Sheikhs ought 
not make a deduction of two camels. The appeal was 
successful, and, forced by public opinion, the Sheikh 
agreed to be satisfied with twenty-seven.* 

The next subject was the route. He consented at 
once to take us to Petra, and allow us to remain there 
two days ; but to conduct us to Hebron was impossi- 
ble. There was the great bugbear of a quarantine 
there, and no Alawy was fool enough to put his neck 
in such a noose. He would, however, take us to 
Dhahariyeh, a frontier village, six hours from Hebron. 
To this we were forced to consent, though we after- 
wards discovered it was a trick formed to compensate 
for his want of success in making a private arrange- 
ment with us, for his hope of spoil had been entirely 
cut off from that source. 

The next item was the amount of daily travel ; this 
was to be as many hours as we chose, except for the 
two days among the Petra mountains, in which, from 
the difficulty of the path, the Sheikh was to determine 
how long a journey his camels could endure. 

The last clauses of the contract provided that good 
camels should be furnished, that particularly easy ani- 
mals should be obtained for the ladies, and that "back- 
sheesh " should be dealt according to our option. 

* Afterwards changed to twenty-eight. 



ARABIC CONTRACT. 



199 



A verbal assent having been given to these particu- 
lars, the Governor's scribe, duly equipped with his stylus 
and ink, and provided with a sheet of coarse brown 
paper, commenced immortalizing the contract in black 
and white ; but here a Syrian, one of our servants, 
interfered, determined to draw up so lawyer-like a 
document, that the Sheikh could find no loop-hole of 
escape. The astounded scribe, on whom all the lite- 
rary labours of Akabah had hitherto fallen, demurred 
resolutely at this infringement of his right. Was he, 
the honourable Secretary of the Gubernatorial Court 
of Akabah, to yield his powers to a dog of a Syrian, 
and that, too, a servant ? Indignation was most right- 
eously his, but perseverance was as certainly Giovan- 
ni's. A compromise was effected, by which Giovanni 
agreed to do the duty and hand the fee to the high- 
minded secretary — a compromise which seemed to 
show that the honourable penman placed a higher es- 
timate on the gain than on the honour of his office. 
After all was satisfactorily arranged, I produced the 
silver, and counted out to the Sheikh the two-thirds of 
the price, the rest being payable at Petra. He here 
slipped in his claim for forty piastres per camel as his 
own fee. As this was in his proposals to the British 
Consul, it was immediately paid ; and now was closed 
our great business arrangement with the redoubtable 
Sheikh of the Alawin, to which we had looked forward 
as to some mighty Slough of Despond. The arrange- 
ment was sufficiently satisfactory — the fulfilment was 
still somewhat doubtful. 

The Governor of Akabah now put in his claim on 
our treasury for four hundred piastres (twenty dollars), 
for having sent two dromedaries after Hossein. I 
asked him why on earth he had sent two, for I was 
wholly unaware that the rule of three proved that two 



200 



TOWARAH TRICKERY. 



dromedaries could reach a given point twice as fast 
as one — and we had only required one. He made no 
explanation, and I handed him one hundred piastres, 
telling him I could only pay for one, and this hundred 
was ample pay for that. He utterly refused this, and 
I at length soothed him with two hundred. Sheikh 

CD 

Hossein now thought it his turn to propose an appen- 
dix to the day's arrangements. He did so in the modest 
request to give his son Mohammed (who was to be our 
leader), a pound of coffee and a pound of tobacco 
daily ! We laughed the old man out of this notion, 
and he beat a retreat to the ladies' tent, where he 
urged upon them the expediency of each furnishing 
him with a pair of pantaloons, declaring solemnly that 
this was his regular tribute from the English ladies 
who before had visited his country. The ladies as- 
sured him that such a gift to a gentleman was highly 
improper in their country, and they could not insult 
him in such a manner. The unfortunate Sheikh had 
to give up the hunt and pocket his disappointment. 

Our Towarah had promised to wait, for our starting 
on Tuesday, before they should leave ; but to our sur- 
prise, we saw them making ready for departure, and 
Besharah came to make his farewell. I told him I 
could not wish him peace, if he acted so ungratefully, 
after our kindness ; but he insisted it was not his fault 
— he would be very glad to stay and do everything in 
his power for us ; but his men were paid and wished 
to be off, and he was afraid to remain alone. All this 
was merely a scheme for renewed " backsheesh," and 
our circumstances w r ere such that we were forced to 
offer the Arabs the desired reward for remaining. But 
Tuesday came, and no camels or Alawin (as promised 
by Sheikh Hossein) were to be seen. The Towarah 
were now very impatient to depart, and I therefore 



DISMAL DELAY. 



201 



thought best to make a clean breast to Besharah. 
I took him to a side tent, and frankly told him how we 
were circumstanced ; that we feared treachery from 
Hossein, and wished his Towarah to remain as our 
escort in case circumstances would require our retreat 
from Akabah. I thus trusted to his honour, and he re- 
plied by the odious and unceasing " backsheesh." I 
was fairly disgusted. I told him he was an ungrateful 
fellow, and that I had largely fee'd him during the 
route. I then recapitulated the various presents he 
had received. He seemed to have some conscience 
left, and withdrew his demand. 

Meanwhile we were roasted, toasted, and broiled 
beneath the burning sun of Akabah, the mercury keep- 
ing up manfully among the hundreds. We imagined 
the approach of all sorts of diseases, and even fell into 
a melancholy ; home almost sank beneath our mental 
horizon, and frightful deserts, with savage Arabs, filled 
our desponding vision. We had studied Akabah till 
every stone was familiar, and we had pondered so 
vehemently on Solomon's navy at this Ezion-Geber, 
that the thought of the Israelitish fleet was a painful 
incubus upon our minds, for life at Akabah had few 
incidents to divert our weary spirits. 

Sheikh Hossein would now and then form some re- 
lief. The Sheikh was an immense consumer of tobacco 
and coffee, and never seen without his pipe or coffee- 
cup. He called himself fifty years of age, but another 
fifteen might be added without endangering the truth. 
His flowing scarlet robe was always a conspicuous 
object among the palms, and report says it was a gift 
from Linant Bey, (Mons. Linant), the companion of 
Laborde. He has six sons and two daughters. He is 
quite tall, with a wild but artful face, and is regarded 
with the greatest deference, not only by his own, but 



202 



RESTLESSNESS. 



by the neighbouring tribes, A dispute having occurred 
between the Syrian Giovanni and one of the Tow- 
arah, it was referred to Hossein as judge. He acted 
the umpire with immense dignity, and gave a final 
decision. 

The Governor's daughter, a dirty little child, in faded 
finery, sometimes honoured our tents with a visit, on 
which occasions a score of ragged Akabans would look 
wistfully upon the heiress apparent, as if ardently de- 
sirous of the high rank that could be conferred by the 
possession of her hand. 

Tuesday was waning, and still no Alawin arrived. 
We therefore sent for Hossein and told him our deter- 
mination to go the other route with the Towarah, 
unless the camels should be forthcoming that evening. 
The Sheikh courteously assented to this arrangement, 
and moreover affirmed that in that case he would return 
all the money already paid him, and pay us an addi- 
tional sum for our disappointment ! He added, that he 
could swear to us of the certain arrival of the camels 
that night. 

True enough, as the shades of evening w x ere gather- 
ing over Akabah, a hundred wild Alawin on fleet 
dromedaries came rapidly down the sand-hills, and 
poured into the palm grove, by the side of our en- 
campment. They maintained a solemn silence as 
they entered a large enclosure of palms, and afforded 
us one of the most romantic spectacles we ever wit- 
nessed. Their swarthy visages and Bedawee garb, the 
multitude of camels, the dim twilight, and the green 
palms, formed a scene of indescribable interest. We 
almost shuddered to think of putting ourselves into 
the hands of these fierce sons of Esau. They wore 
the Bedawee kefiyeh in place of the turban of the 
Towarah, and the match-lock of our old escort was 



ARRIVAL OF THE EDOMITES. 



203 



transformed to the more certain flint. The Alawin 
were evidently a higher order of Bedawin than the 
Towarah, and we conceived a degree of respect for 
them that no Arab had before inspired. Many of them 
bore a stick of the same shaped handle as is seen in 
the Egyptian sculptures as held by the deities. 

They sprang from their camels, and our future guide, 
Mohammed, with Salim, brother of Hossein, came for- 
ward and shook us each by the hand, touching their 
lips and heart. The rest prepared food for the kneel- 
ing camels, and as darkness spread, bivouac fires en- 
lightened the grove, and threw an additional charm on 
the strange scene. 

That evening Hossein, Mohammed, and another 
Alawy Sheikh, took coffee with us, and promised to 
start in the morning, as soon as we should select our 
camels. Our Towarah were again bribed to wait an- 
other day, and see us off. Besharah even consented 
to go with us to Dhahariyeh, in order to comfort Ibra- 
him, who was greatly attached to him ; but on second 
thoughts he gave up the idea, probably not being over- 
anxious for so close proximity to the Alawin. 

True to his word, Sheikh Hossein's corps of camels 
and Edomites were all in readiness at an early hour, 
and the scarlet-robed monarch was busying himself 
among his forces, determining who should go and who 
should stay. His pipe was ever in his mouth, and a cloud 
of smoke continually surrounded his head. Twenty- 
seven good camels were selected and loaded, our 
Towarah assisting as experienced hands. As it turned 
out, Hossein added two camels beyond the contracted 
number. As soon as I perceived this, I called the old 
nabob, and told him that this wouldn't do — that such 
a method of obtaining money was not capable of suc- 
cess. The magnanimous chieftain astonished me by 



204 



DEPARTURE FROM AKABAH. 



assuring us we should not be at a single para's expense 
beyond the amount contracted. 

Mohammed, our young leader, was also clothed in a 
robe of scarlet cloth, with a gown of Brousa silk be- 
neath—his head was covered with a gay silk kefiyeh, 
bound by a rope of camel's hair — and his bare legs 
stood out of a rusty pair of huge boots, of Frank work- 
manship, the gift of some past traveller. 



THE ARAB AH— MOUNT HOR— PETRA— ITS WONDERS— DEPARTURE. 

At half-past seven o'clock on Wednesday morning, 
May 2d, we quitted the grove of Akabah, and parted 
from our good but begging Towarah. We took our 
way over the sand-hills to the North, leaving the mounds 
of Elath on our left. The Great Arabah was here 
about six miles in width, and directly across we saw 
the difficult pass of Akabah, that gives name to the 
palm grove and castle we had left. Joseph Pitts, to 
whose remarkable effort of authorship we have before 
referred, seems to have experienced the weariness of 
this pass ; his quaint words are these : — " About ten 
Days before we got to Cairo, we came to a very long 
steep Hill, called Ackaba, which the Hagges are usually 
much afraid how they shall be able to get up. Those 
who can will walk it. The poor Camels, having no 
Hoofs, find it very hard Work, and many drop here. 
They were all untied, and we dealt gently with them, 
moving very slowly, and often halting. Before we 
came to this Hill, I observed no Descent, and when we 
were at the Top there was none, but all plain as before." 
He then profoundly adds, " We passed by Mount 
Sinai by Night, and, perhaps, when I was asleep ; so 
that I had no Prospect of it !" 



206 



THE ARABAH. 



It is well known to everybody that an immense de- 
pressed plain or valley extends from the Dead to the 
Red Sea, a distance of about ninety miles. This 
valley really commences beyond the Dead Sea, north- 
ward, and even beyond the Sea of Tiberias, at the foot 
of Mount Hermon, forming an entire length of 230 
miles. It is called in the Hebrew Scriptures the 
" Arabah" (n^y), which signifies " a sterile region," and 
the portion of the plain between the Dead and Red 
Seas is known to this day among the Arabs by the 
same name. The word " Arabia" is derived from the 
identical root. The valley varies in width from five to 
fifteen miles, and is bounded by rocky cliffs or pre- 
cipitous mountains. It has been supposed by many 
that the Jordan passed through the whole extent of 
this plain previous to the destruction of Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and emptied itself into the Red Sea. This 
theory has been stoutly opposed, and the discovery of 
the great depth of the Dead Sea by Lieutenant Lynch, 
has given confidence to the opponents. They place 
Sodom and Gomorrah in the great south bay of the 
sea, which is only a few feet in depth, and this portion, 
they imagine, was first overflowed at the destruction 
of the cities, while the major part of the sea, lying 
north of the peninsula, had ever been the reservoir of 
the Jordan's waters. There is certainly a great 
plausibility in this conjecture, but a statement in 
Genesis makes me believe that, although the north 
part of the sea was probably existing from the earliest 
period of the world, yet the Jordan flowed through it 
(as through the Sea of Tiberias) to the Red Sea. The 
statement in Genesis is contained in the 10th, 11th, 
and 12th verses of the 13th chapter. Here Lot is de- 
scribed as lifting up his eyes and beholding " all the 
plain of Jordan" Then he " chose him all the plain 



THE ANCIENT BED OF THE JORDAN. 207 

of Jordan" and " pitched his tent towards Sodom." As 
Sodom must have stood at the south extremity of the 
original sea, and as by the manifest signification of the 
text, Sodom was either in the plain of Jordan or upon 
its very borders, the conclusion is very urgent that the 
Jordan must have again made its appearance south of 
the sea. In that case the Red Sea could have been 
the only receptacle of its waters. I saw nothing in the 
character of the Arabah to militate against this belief, 
though a scientific investigation might raise new ob- 
jections. Such an investigation should be undertaken 
as a proper sequel to the expedition of Lieut. Lynch. 
At the same time the real level of the Sea of Tiberias 
should be decided, and then the exploration of the Jor- 
dan valley might be considered complete. 

To return from this Jordanic digression. 

The Arabah, during our first day's travel, was well 
sprinkled with seyal and turfa trees, and many varieties 
of herbs, which gave an appearance, at a distance, of 
a cultivated plain. On approach, the intervals of sand 
or gravel between the trees and bushes dissipated the 
welcome illusion, The surface of the plain was slightly 
uneven, and here and there was broken by the de- 
scending beds of side wadys, which boldly projected 
almost to the centre of the Arabah in huge inclined 
planes, whose summits were among the lofty cliffs. At 
one point we passed a small hollow that bore marks of 
having retained the waters of the winter rains until 
recently. 

We had only been four hours from Akabah, when 
Mr. Mohammed informed us he was about to halt for 
the night. It was then a half hour before noon, and 
we were highly amused with his cool effrontery. On 
asking the reason of so absurd a desire, he said he was 
himself willing to proceed, nay, rather anxious to con- 



208 



INTEREST OF THE EOUTE. 



tinue the march, but it was customary (the old song) to 
stop at that point, and his Arabs wished to conform to 
the time-honoured habit, for beyond we could find no 
browsing for the camels. We said nothing in reply, 
but ourselves and servants kept resolutely on our way, 
and the rest deemed it prudent to follow. The excuse 
about the browsing, we found, as expected, a Bedawin 
hyperbole ; we had learned to place a just estimate on 
an Arab's words, and always laid our course according- 
ly, as the mariner is guided by the magnet (though it 
never tells the true north) by making a due allowance 
for its variation. 

The mountains on either side were lofty and savage 
— especially did the craggy summits of Mount Seir, 
upon our right, present a forbidding aspect. Our 
escort was now composed of thirty armed Alawin, 
which, with our own party, completed the number of 
forty-three souls ; a Gaza merchant, a forlorn negro, 
made the forty-fourth, and we thus considered our- 
selves sufficiently formidable to oppose a stout defence 
in case of attack, for the Arabah is a noted field for 
marauding parties, as it is a sort of neutral ground and 
boundary of several tribes. The curious formation of 
the Arabah, the unfrequented character of the route, 
the wild nature of our Alawin, the apprehensions of 
attack, and, moreover, the Scriptural associations of 
the region, all combined to fill our minds with intense 
interest and excitement. While at Akabah, and when 
perplexed amid the difficulties of our future route, I had 
accidently opened my Bible to this appropriate pass- 
age, " Who will lead me to the strong city ? Who 
will bring me into Edom ?" and my spirit had taken 
courage at the reply that is appended, " Even thou, O 
God !" This question and answer were ever in my 
mind as we toiled along the arid plain of the Arabah, 



THE ALAWIN. 



209 



and most fully was its purport accomplished with us, 
though in so different a manner from its original de- 
sign and fulfilment. We felt the continual presence of 
the Guide of Israel through this desert of Israel's wan- 
derings, and by his merciful hand were led safely to the 
termination of our projected journey. 

At 3 1, P. M.., of our first day, Mohammed again pro- 
posed a halt. There was still an hour of oiu* day's 
quantum remaining, but as Ibrahim was fearfully sick 
with his fever, we consented to pitch, and so did about 
twenty-four miles from Akabah, by the side of an ex- 
tensive salt marsh, now nearly dry, but thickly en- 
crusted with salt. This marsh occupies the centre of 
the Arabah, and appeared to us about two miles in 
length. We had found our new camels much stronger 
and of quicker gait than those of the Towarah, mak- 
ing three miles to the hour, instead of the two and a 
half miles of our old carriers. The Alawin themselves, 
though showing less civilization than the Towarah, 
behaved respectfully and obligingly. Indeed, on our 
whole journey to Hebron they acted most unexcep- 
tionably, always complying with our requirements, 
assisting us in every way possible, and entirely avoid- 
ing the wearisome begging that so cancelled the good 
qualities of the Towarah. Especially was Mohammed 
an example to sheikhdom : he mingled the indefatiga- 
ble benevolence of a philanthropist with the gallantry 
of a finished beau. So delighted were we with the 
youthful chieftain, that we sent back from Hebron 
to his father a most complimentary epistle regarding 
his son's excellencies, that must have been a pleasant 
draught for the old man's pride. 

Our second day from Akabah was very hot, and the 
reflection from the sand exceedingly annoying. We 
kept close to the eastern mountains, in order to skirt 



210 



THE WATERSHED. 



the salt marsh, and then our route again lay nearly in 
the centre of the plain. The Arabah now grew wider 
at every mile, and we found ourselves (just north 
of the marsh) among reddish sand-hills that were 
sprinkled with tufts of herbs. This character of the 
ground continued throughout the second day, the sand- 
hills appearing about twenty or thirty feet in average 
height. An hour and a half north of the marsh, a 
large inclined plane, the mouth of a wady, of this pe- 
culiar red colour, comes over from the eastern range, 
and here appeared to us to be the watershed of the 
Arabah. The table-land of the watershed continued 
a mile or two, and then there was a perceptible gradual 
descent northward. The elevation of the watershed 
seemed to us to be no obstacle whatever in the way of 
the Jordan theory. Finding a large quantity of rain- 
water standing in pools a little further to the north, we 
halted and refreshed ourselves. We found it com- 
paratively cool, and of good taste. The delight ex- 
perienced at finding such a reservoir in the burning 
desert is utterly unappreciable by those at home. The 
quenching of the severest thirst acquired among 
scenes of verdure or the objects of civilized life, can- 
not give the flush of enjoyment that pervades a desert- 
weary pilgrim at the sight of a brimming pool. In the 
former case, the very sight of surrounding objects 
forms a pleasure to the spirit, and serves to break the 
force of the joy of quenched thirst ; but in the latter 
case, the transition from a choking dryness to full 
satisfaction in its removal is immediate. No attractive 
scenes let you down easily to the fulfilled desire, but 
in an instant you make the exchange of unalloyed 
misery for perfect satisfaction. 

Another hour brought us to a little wady within and 
parallel to the Arabah — a wady within a wady. It was 



ANOTHER GHURUNDEL. 



211 



only eight or ten feet broad in some places, and its banks 
were about six feet high. Mohammed called it Wady 
Heimah. The mountains now on either hand appeared 
to become lower, those on the east retiring, and a new 
link of lower sandy-looking hills occupying the old line 
of their front upon the great wady. The mountains 
behind became more pointed and broken — those on 
the west, though apparently lower, retained their for- 
mer appearance of steep, regular, dark granite cliffs. 
That evening we encamped in Wady Ghurundel, which 
runs out from the eastern hills down (it is supposed) 
to the Wady Jeib— a large wady that drains the 
Arabah and empties into the Dead Sea. In the cool 
of the evening we walked out from the camp to ex- 
amine a ruin near the foot of the cliffs, for we had 
encamped close under the eastern range. The ruin is 
of a stone building, of small dimensions, and w r as origin- 
ally, it is probable, a station erected by the crusaders. 
It is on a hillock by the side of Wady Ghurundel, just 
after it issues from its mountain-dell. We walked up 
the narrow defile, and soon came to the brook of Ain 
Ghurundel and about two acres of coarse grass, six 
or eight feet high. A dwarf palm bush and other trees 
grew around ; but the palm tree, mentioned by pre- 
ceding travellers as standing at the mouth of this dell, 
was no longer there, having been blown down in the 
past winter. 

The next morning we found a heavy dew was on our 
tent, the first we had noticed in the desert. As usual, 
we were on our way by six o'clock, and soon reached 
a ridge of sand-hills, varying (we supposed) from fifty 
to three hundred feet in height, that ran slantingly 
across the Arabah. These hills effectually prevent any 
water at the south from flowing directly into the Dead 
Sea, but from our previous observation regarding the 



212 



WHEAT FIELDS. 



watershed, we had no doubt that between that water- 
shed and these hills all water ran down to the west side 
of the Arabah, and then bent around these hills to the 
Dead Sea. These hills do not touch the eastern range 
of mountains, but are connected with it by an eleva- 
tion of the desert, which is an effectual barrier to the 
passage of water. It was over this we passed. Some 
plantations of fine wheat (Arab. " Zerra") were seen 
towards the centre of the Arabah. These were owned 
jointly by the Alawin and Haiwat tribes, some of which 
latter were seen with their camels busied about their 
grain. Several came out and saluted our escort. 
Multitudes of large storks were hovering over this 
attractive portion of the desert, or standing amidst the 
crop. The whole Arabah is covered with tracks of 
large birds, and probably they are made by these 
storks and the vultures, which were also seen in great 
number. At eleven o'clock, Mohammed rode up to my 
side, and pointing eagerly to the north-east, exclaimed, 
" Jebel Neby Haroun ! Shoof ! Shoof !" I looked, as he 
pointed ; a wild sea of desolate summits rose before us, 
and, slightly more conspicuous than the rest, was the 
mountain-top where the first and greatest high priest 
of the Jewish ceremonial laid aside his robes of office, 
and yielded his breath to Him that had given it. 

It was at the foot of these mountains that Israel had 
rested, while Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar, " went up 
into Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation," 
and here the tribes had mourned for thirty days. We 
now commenced mounting over sand-hills, gaining 
finer views of the Arabah, and the desolate extent of 
western mountains. The way was rough and stony, 
and led us into the mountains of Seir. About noon, 
rocks of most fanciful shapes arrested our attention, on 
one of which was a ruin (probably of a crusading 



ARAB REVENGE. 213 

guard-house), admirably posted for observation of ap- 
proaching enemies towards Petra. There appeared to 
be remnants of another on the other side of the road. 
The way grew wilder continually. But Hor rose di- 
rectly before, and on its summit the white tomb of 
Aaron shone brightly in the sun's rays. At two P. M. 
we encamped at the mouth of Wady Abu-Gesheibeh, on 
an open inclination, looking down upon the broad 
Arabah we had left. In the afternoon, we suddenly 
saw our Alawin spring to their guns, and make quick 
preparation for battle. They had detected some mov- 
ing figures among the bushes below our camp, and in 
an instant they were off to meet the supposed enemy. 
A moment's suspense, and the imagined foe proved to 
be a few Aiziyeh from the vicinity of Hebron. Thus 
was all our pomp of warlike preparation completely 
fruitless, and in place of trophies, our brave defenders 
only brought back to camp a half-dozen mouths to feed. 
These Aiziyeh were on what we should call a Quixotic 
adventure. One of their tribe had been missing, and 
supposed to have been slain by some members of a 
tribe twenty days to the south-east of our camp. 
These valiant six were on their way to revenge his 
death. Not only did such an operation resemble the 
search after a needle in a hay-stack, but the attempt 
seemed about to terminate in a certain capture of a 
Tartar. But they were more experienced in these 
matters than we, and very probably in the end they 
obtained the satisfaction that w ould have exactly suited 
some home-fools — either the death of an enemy or 
their own fall The latter sort of satisfaction has ever 
been a problem, and unfortunately it puts the receiver 
entirely out of the power of instructing us with an 
analysis of the pleasure, so that we must ever be in 
darkness on that point. 

15 



214 



THE PASS INTO PETRA. 



During the night we stationed sentinels, as we had 
entered a region that bears an indisputable title to in- 
security. Almost every traveller, who has penetrated 
these fastnesses, has found a hornet's nest, and we 
were not sufficiently sanguine to expect an exception 
from the usual entertainment. 

On leaving our camp, (the fourth day from Akabah,) 
we immediately struck into Wady Abu-Gesheibeh, a 
beautiful narrow ravine, where tall oleanders in full 
flower lined the way. The rocks exhibited faces of a 
mahogany hue, and stood out in a thousand strange 
and frowning positions. In a half hour we reached the 
foot of the Great Pass of Abu-Gesheibeh, that con- 
ducts to the rock-hewn metropolis. Then came two 
hours of severe climbing up the steep and winding 
ascent, the camels halting, slipping, and disarranging 
their loads ; and we, on foot, encouraged in all the toil 
by the view we should obtain from the summit, and 
by the near proximity of Petra. The camels leaped 
like goats from rock to rock, and found a footing where 
a mule would have been seriously disheartened. It 
was a wild sight, — the swarthy Bedawin and laden 
camels toiling up the mountain-side, now hidden by 
projecting crags, and now brought into full relief upon 
some lofty rock. The poor beasts groaned pitifully 
with the severity of the labour, and their lamentations 
were mingled with the cries of the Arabs, who were 
urging on their faltering footsteps. We hastened for- 
ward to the summit, and turned to enjoy one of the 
grandest views we had ever beheld. The vast expanse 
of the Arabah lay at our feet, and beyond extended 
the high western desert. There, before us, was the 
fountain of Er-Weibeh, on the western skirt of the 
Arabah. This was the Kadesh-barnea of Israel, and 
to it and beyond it over the grim mountains lay our 



MT. HOR. 



215 



future route to the Land of Promise. Immediately 
around us was a tumultuous sea of mountains, and 
turning, we looked upon the dark peak of Hor sur- 
mounted by its whitened Wely. We could not gaze 
enough upon this wonderful landscape, and with reluc- 
tance left our post of observation to descend the east- 
ern side of the pass. This side was much less in 
height, the valleys and ravines of the whole region of 
Seir being greatly elevated above the Arabah. On 
reaching the base of Mount Hor, we alighted and sent 
on the dromedaries and camels, intending ourselves to 
pass over the mountain into Petra, while the caravan 
made the circuit. We were accompanied by four 
Arabs, two being the Wady Mousa Sheikhs who had 
joined us at Akabah. One of these Sheikhs was a 
nephew of the notorious Abu-Zeitun, who had caused 
all the trouble with Irby and Mangles, and afterwards 
with Dr. Robinson. This nephew was as ugly in visage 
as his illustrious uncle had been in heart. His head 
resembled a naked skull, and with his Bedawee rags 
gathered about his person, he only needed the pale 
horse to appear exactly the King of Terrors. He en- 
deavoured to make himself particularly agreeable to 
us,— a result, however well meant, certainly of impos- 
sible attainment. In three-quarters of an hour we 
reached the top of Hor, after a rough and rapid climb 
over a steep and rocky side, now and then broken by 
short levels. Just below the very pinnacle is a basin 
of considerable dimensions. Of course the height of 
the mountain is not to be determined by the forty-five 
minutes of our ascent, as our point of starting was a 
valley raised an immense height above the level of the 
sea. The summit of Hor is very small, — scarce larger 
than to serve as a platform for the tomb of Aaron. 
This tomb (though of Hor antiquity) is a modern 



216 



THE SUMMIT. 



building, of about twenty-six feet square and twelve feet 
in height, in one corner rises a small white dome. 
The material is the stone of the mountain, coated with 
plaster. The roof is flat, and forms a grand observa- 
tory. The interior is arched, like the crypt of an 
old English cathedral, and the roof is supported by one 
massive column in the centre and one against the wall 
forming a pilaster. The centre column is hung around 
with rags, as is also the tomb itself, which is a stone box- 
like structure, (of the usual shape of Moslem tombs,) 
situated near the entrance door, and ornamented with 
Arabic inscriptions. At the furthest end of the build- 
ing from the door is a stairway leading to the vault 
beneath. Over the tomb are suspended a few ostrich 
eggs, to which one of our friends' servants, a mischief- 
loving Greek, tied a card of a Smyrna Hotel, with his 
own name duly emblazoned thereon. It was a novel 
place, on the dreary peak of this distant desert moun- 
tain, to advertise an inn, and it is highly probable that 
the Smyrniote card appeared to the simple Bedawin 
the mystic talisman of the Frank. 

The view, like that from the top of the Pass, was 
remarkably extensive and soul-stirring ; but from this 
point two objects were in sight that had not caught 
our vision before — Petra and the Dead Sea. Of Petra, 
little was seen, but that little was the beautiful Ed 
Deir, its fine facade perched strangely on the side of a 
distant cliff. So unbecoming this wild place was the 
finished temple, that in spite of our knowledge of its 
existence, we were startled at its presence. It was as 
if, while wandering through a savage forest, our eyes 
should suddenly fall upon a fair and noble lady arrayed 
in all the drapery of a court. We looked earnestly 
and thoughtfully upon the distant enchantment, and 
longed to reach the mysterious City of the Rock. 



PETRA. 



217 



The extreme south of the Dead Sea lay northward. 
On its eastern shore rose the mountains of Moab, and 
our Arab guides pointed out the lofty Kerak. The 
large Wady Jerafeh ran into the Arabah from the 
south-west over against Mount Hor, forming a con- 
spicuous object in the view. We spent twenty minutes 
upon the summit, and then descended the eastern side. 
We could see our camels like mites in the distance 
below us, wending their way towards the opening of 
Wady Mousa. We found the descent exceedingly 
steep and broken by rocks and gullies. In a half hour 
we gained the valley. Another half hour of rough 
surface among rocks brought us to excavations, on 
either side, in the limestone and sandstone cliffs. 
These were the suburbs of the city. A short dis- 
tance beyond, we turned a projecting mountain, and 
Petra, the ancient, mysterious Petra, burst full in view, 
— a large retired basin, surrounded by lofty cliffs of 
dark rock, that were honeycombed with the dwellings 
of the Edomites. One lonely column stood before us. 
We soon reached the spot, and found the column at- 
tended by fallen brethren ; all, however, of a late 
period. The path was still excessively rough and 
broken. On all sides the artificial caverns looked 
down upon us, some of them apparently inaccessible 
in the lofty cliffs. In five and a half hours from our 
previous encampment, we quietly pitched in the centre 
of the deserted city, by the dry bed of the stream that 
almost equally divides the site of Petra. Petra con- 
sists of a large basin among the mountains ; this basin 
is of very irregular surface, and is surrounded by cliffs 
of red sandstone. It is almost completely shut in by 
these natural walls. The story, however, of its being 
accessible only by one route, is false. Dr. Robinson 
entered by one way and" left it by another. We en- 



218 



THE RUINS. 



tered and left it by a third. The Sik ravine appears 
to be the only way of entering Petra by a path level 
with the general surface of the basin, the other routes 
bringing one into its solitudes over hills and mountains. 
The ravine, opposite the Sik, through which the same 
stream flows, is said by the Arabs to be impassable. 
Our entrance was made over the southern hills. 

We saw much pasture on the limestone hills that 
lay behind the basin, which reminded us of the Downs 
of England. Even the red sandstone cliffs supported 
on their summits and on their ledges a growth of 
grass and cedar trees. The oleander was plentiful, 
ornamenting the wild scenery with its gay flowers. 
The basin itself contains the few remains of buildings 
that Petra boasts, its tombs and temples being for the 
most part rock-hewn, and as lasting as the mountains 
themselves. These remains are an embankment of 
masonry along a part of the steep sides of the brook's 
channel, probably the pieces of a former bridge — -a 
ruined triumphal arch, bearing some fine traces of the 
chisel in its ornaments, and which was composed of a 
main and two side passages — and a fragment of a 
palace, called among the Arabs by the ridiculous name 
of " Kasr Pharon," or " Palace of Pharaoh." These 
remains are of a light freestone. The columns, before 
mentioned, may be added as the relics of stone and 
mortar Petra, and all these must find a date among the 
reigns of the later Roman emperors. It is rock-hewn 
Petra that is of gray antiquity, and even then it is not 
the facades of beauty that tell of the days of Solo- 
mon, but the plainer caverns of the rugged cliffs. The 
carved work of Petra betrays the chisel of the Roman 
artist. Our first visit (after a brief rest) was to the 
high temple of Ed-Deir, whose distant grace we had 
viewed from the summit of Mount Hor. This was the 



ED-DEIR. 



219 



most remote object of sight from our encampment, and 
we therefore deemed it wise to make our first exami- 
nation there, lest a sudden departure (so common to 
sojourners at Petra) should entirely defraud us of the 
visit. We proceeded along the southern bank of the 
stream, passed the ruins above mentioned, then cross- 
ing, took our way northward, along the extreme edge 
of the basin, close under the cliffs. We soon entered 
a charming ravine, filled with oleanders ; turning west- 
ward into a branch ravine of like wildness and beauty, 
we ascended its bed by steps cut in the rock, and well 
worn by the rains of centuries. We were a half hour 
in this romantic scenery, winding among the rocks, be- 
fore reaching a small grassy plain, on which fronted 
the object of our search. It looked placidly yet nobly 
over the vast scene before it ; a frowning front would 
have been ungrateful, for Time had not touched a fea- 
ture of its face. It had been born amid a thronging 
population ; that host had entirely passed away, and 
the silence of desolation now surrounded its neglected 
beauty ; yet it wore the same smiling aspect with which 
it had greeted the crowds of former ages. It had felt 
no change amid the changes of succeeding centuries. 
An undying cheerfulness had impressed its quiet exist- 
ence, that imitated the glory of the ceaseless sun, who 
casts his rays alike upon the grave-yard and the tour- 
nament. We sat long and thoughtfully before it, and 
could have gazed a year and have been unwearied. 

But our time was precious, and we were forced to 
occupy our moments in seeing, and leave thinking- to a 
day of less excitement. The temple, facade and all, 
is carved entirely from the rock, and its ornamental 
front is, perhaps, a hundred feet in height. A close 
and critical examination of this facade detracts from 
its general effect, by exposing its great architectural 



L 



220 



ITS BEAUTY. 



errors both in design and execution. The broken pedi- 
ment, which is seen also elsewhere in Petra, is an 
uncouth conceit, but partially relieved by the round 
and ornamented tower intervening between the frag- 
ments. The capitals of the columns are, moreover, 
exceedingly rude, the friable nature of the stone pro- 
bably forbidding any delicate workmanship. The 
interior is a plain bare-walled excavation, of very 
moderate dimensions for the height of the facade. At 
the furthest side from the doorway is a large niche, 
elevated slightly above the floor, and reached by two 
small flights of steps, one on each extremity of its 
base. The walls, though bare of original ornaments, 
are adorned by the names of travellers, for this is the 
only " Livre des Etrangers " that Petra now pos- 
sesses. A hundred names are here seen, a majority of 
which seemed to belong to our fellow-countrymen of 
the Western World. We could find the record of the 
visit of only one American lady before us, who had 
penetrated the innermost recesses of Bedawee life. In 
front of Ed-Deir, though not obstructing the view from 
its entrance, are craggy rocks, thoroughly pierced with 
excavations. One, higher than the rest, vies with Ed- 
Deir in size, having at its extremity a tasteful niche, 
decorated with fine bas-relief rosettes and female half 
figures holding cornucopias. Above this excavation 
are the relics of a superstructure, from which is a com- 
manding view of Petra, Mount Hor, and the Arabah. 
This was, doubtless, a prominent watch-station, when 
there was " wisdom in Teman," and when fierce Edom, 
in its " terribleness and pride of heart," dwelt in the 
clefts of the' rock. We looked down upon the forsaken 
city, and thought of the condemnation once uttered 
against it and now fulfilled. " Thy terribleness hath 
deceived thee and the pride of thy heart, O thou that 



THE DESOLATION OF EDOM. 



221 



dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height 
of the hill : though thou shouldest make thy nest as high 
as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith 
the Lord." " Also Edom shall be a desolation." " No 
man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell 
in it." " Edom shall be a desolate wilderness." " I 
will make thee (Mount Seir) perpetual desolations, and 
thy cities shall not return." These were the words of 
the prophets of the Most High, spoken when Edom 
was rich in her prosperity, her commerce extensive, 
her armies invincible, and her fields fruitful. How sad 
the contrast ! Now hear the lamentation ! " There 
is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with 
their might are laid by them that were slain by the 
sword : they lie with the uncircumcised and with them 
that go down to the pit." If ever man can be im- 
pressed with a sense of his own insignificance, and the 
power of his God, it is when, standing above the for- 
saken caves of Petra, he looks upon the inspired 
page, and then upon the desolations of the surrounding 
scene. In descending to the encampment, we retraced 
the romantic path, winding witchingly among rocks 
and bushes, now bringing before us a glorious view, 
and now shutting us completely in a narrow fissure. 
At the bottom we entered several caverns. In one, 
about a hundred yards from our path, we found a large 
number of skulls and bones, and rags, of the same ap- 
pearance and odour with the mummy cloths of Egypt. 
Others contained rude stone sarcophagi. Some had 
the door-posts and lintels carved ornamentally, but all 
the interiors were plain and of coarse workmanship. 
A fine fig tree full of promising fruit grew in the path- 
way from Ed-Deir. 

On returning to our tents, we paid to the death- 
Sheikh nephew of Abu-Zeitun (who professed to be 



222 



THE GHUFR. 



Grand Sheikh of Wady Mousa) the ghufr or tax which 
Sheikh Hossein of the Alawin had represented to the 
British Consul as a fixed price. This ghufr was 100 
piastres (five dollars) for each visiter, and twenty 
piastres (one dollar) extra for each one who had as- 
cended Mt. Hor. This was a total of forty dollars for 
our party. We considered the Wady Mousa tribe as 
having perfect authority to demand this, as much as 
the government of any civilized land to demand a duty 
on its imports. We cheerfully paid the amount, and 
the Arabs received it with an expression of thanks, 
almost the first I had ever heard a Bedawee make. 
We paid our Alawin (who accompanied us to Ed- 
Deir) four piastres (twenty cents) apiece for their 
trouble. They showed some symptoms of grumbling, 
but our inimitable young Sheikh Mohammed nipped 
the murmur in the bud. The distance between Ed- 
Dei r and our encampment was just an hour. Our 
next visit was to the imposing array of facades upon 
the eastern side of the basin. One of these has re- 
ceived the name of the " Corinthian tomb" from 
travellers ; but why is a mystery, for it could scarcely 
have been a place of sepulture, or else the tombs of 
Petra were the most conspicuous objects, which is not 
at all likely. And I looked in vain to find any Cor- 
inthianism in its architecture. The facade closely 
resembles that of Ed-Deir, and was, without doubt, 
sculptured at the same late date. It is much defaced 
by the action of rain upon the soft sandstone. Within, 
it has large stone stalls against the back and one side. 
In one of these stalls is a low stone counter, holding 
three sunken basins, like those seen in the little 
" bottegas " of Pompeii. 

Next to this facade, northward, is one of immense 
dimensions. It exhibits above its carved portal's row 



FACADES. 



223 



upon row of relieved columns, extending to the top of 
the cliff. The capitals of these columns were of the 
same rude and unseemly shape as those of Ed-Deir. 

The whole rank of facades on this side are raised 
high above the level of our encampment, a lofty ledge 
forming platforms before them. One of these excava- 
tions (about sixty feet square) had three niches in the 
back wall, and three upon the sides, like chapels to a 
cathedral. Masonry is seen occasionally where a corner 
needed a finish, or where a cornice was wanted. In 
one I found a fragment of a " London Times ! " 

Beyond the columned facade (still northward) is a 
fine front, at the acute angle formed by a small ravine. 
This face is turned not, like the others of the row, to- 
wards the basin, but towards the north. It bears a 
Latin inscription beneath its pediment, which puzzled 
my curiosity to decipher. I endeavoured again and 
again to climb by a column, but my zeal couldn't fur- 
nish me with foothold. I then struck up the ravine, 
intending to come around the inscription, if possible. 
Some distance behind the edifice, I found means of 
climbing the cliff, and, on reaching the top, hurried 
forward to the facade, thinking a triumph already 
gained. I reached the huge urn that ornamented the 
summit of the pediment, but my discoveries advanced 
no further in this direction. The inaccessible inscrip- 
tion was far below me, and an attempt to climb down- 
wards to its level, would have made me an occupant 
of some grim Petran tomb for a longer period than was 
desirable. I felt like Tantalus, the water rising to my 
lips, and I unable to drink. In order to aid my energies, 
I had concocted ideas of wonderful revelations of 
Petra history, and accurate delineations of Edom 
life, all derived from my most profound research among 
the inscriptions of Mt. Seir, and now all my glorious 



224 



EFFORTS TO DECIPHER AjS" INSCRIPTION. 



theories were to be stifled at the birth, just because a 
pediment chose to be an impediment. J wrote the 
whole Idumean race fools, for carving inscriptions 
where nobody could read them, and crawled down the 
cliff again, as sulkily as a whipped schoolboy. The 
ravine was wildly beautiful, and put me in better hu- 
mour. I stood again in front of the facade, and en- 
deavoured to read the mysterious words. At length, 
by selecting the most advantageous position, and 
studying carefully the long array of letters, I brought 
off the following as the meagre result of my labours : — 

-H-HINIG ++++++++++++ 1 1 1 1 M I TINO-mi-YIRO-MEH- 
ARC-FL ANRO-TR IB-MI LIT- 

-f++LEC-T'mi-Hr3P-PR0-C0S- 
P4.-|-4--{--[--(-^R.LEC-PR-Tfi-PR(;7 | | | [ ■+++ PATRI ++++ 
++EX-TESTAM+++++ IPSUS 

Laborde saw this inscription, and supposed he found 
in it the name of Quintus Praetextus Florentinus ; as 
he mentions no use of ladder, spy-glass, or other help 
in reading the inscription, either twenty years had 
greatly defaced the letters, or his powers of sight must 
have been remarkable, for with a great far-sightedness 
and persevering labour, the above was all I could de- 
cipher. 

Southward from this principal row of facades, the 
celebrated Sik ravine enters the basin, between a pro- 
jecting hill and the eastern cliffs. On the interior of 
this projecting hill, in a retired spot, well fitted for the 
drama, is the rock-hewn theatre. An audience, when 
witnesses of some well-wrought tragedy, in so wild a 
scenery of nature, must have kindled with no common 
enthusiasm. There is no stage on earth more adapted 
to the graver subjects of the drama than this mountain 
theatre of the Idumean desert ; yet, for more than a 



THE KHASNE. 



225 



thousand years its seats have dwelt untenanted, and 
the gaunt cliffs have greeted it as a brother in* desola- 
tion. We strove to imagine it the haunt of busy man, 
who had retired temporarily from his labour, and would 
again return to make vocal those solitudes with the 
sounds of earnest, vigorous life. But we could not en- 
joy this anticipation, for the forsaken stones bore the 
impress of the prophet's sentence. " Perpetual deso- 
lations," " perpetual desolations" was written on every 
wall and seat of rock that man had wrought to fulfil 
his purposes. The noble theatre of the mighty Petra 
was " a habitation of dragons and a court for owls." 

Above the rising rows of semicircular seats, were 
private boxes, hewn from the rock, where the nobles 
of Petra had sat untainted by the vulgar gaze. Passing 
on up the ravine, we struck eastward, and soon reach- 
ed the Khasne, the gem of Petra. This is a facade of 
exquisite workmanship, of the same general style with 
Ed-Deir and the so-called Corinthian tomb, but of far 
more beautiful detail. It is carved where the rock is 
of a soft rose-colour, which adds greatly to its ravish- 
ing beauties. Its lower columns are Corinthian, of 
delicate execution. One is missing. Above the centre 
columns is a rich pediment, sparkling with rarest 
chisellings. Above these, other columns support a 
broken pediment and the intervening tower, as in Ed- 
Deir. One urn surmounts all, which is well chipped 
by bullets, for the suspicious Bedawee looks upon it as 
a coffer of old treasure, and seldom passes without 
sacrificing some powder and lead in an attempt to gain 
the prize. Hence the name of Khasne or Treasury is 
attached to the structure. Several bas-reliefs on 
pedestals ornament the front, between the columns. 
Each of the two on either side the grand doorway is 
evidently a centaur carrying off a female. These bas- 



r 



226 



THE SIK. 



reliefs are much injured by the rains. There is a 
vestibule or porch behind the centre columns, having 
a doorway in the furthest wall, and one upon each side. 
The first leads to the main chamber, a plain square ex- 
cavation ; the last two conduct to side chambers, also 
plain, with the exception of a niche with a grooved 
floor, that ornaments the side of one. The purpose of 
the grooved floor to the niche is difficult to decide. 
The ravine in which the Khasne stands is in reality not 
the Sik, though, as containing the stream, I have called 
it by that name. The Sik proper enters this ravine at 
right angles, directly opposite the Khasne, which must 
have been sculptured in that position purposely for the 
effect on approaching from the Sik. 

The Sik is one of the most wonderful passes to 
be found on the earth. Its walls of rock rise two 
hundred feet over the traveller's head, and between 
these frowning heights there is scarce a pathway for 
the camel. In this remarkable ravine the oleander 
grows luxuriantly, and here and there a green vine 
clambers along the rock from some slight hollow, 
where a little earth had gathered. In many places 
the projecting cliffs almost meet above your head, 
and noon wears a twilight robe. For two miles this 
strange and awful pass winds through the heart of 
the dark cliffs, ere you arrive again in the full blaze of 
day. Picture the sensations of an ancient citizen of 
Rome on arriving at this Idumean metropolis. He 
enters this wild ravine, and feels as if approaching the 
gates of Orcus. The dark and savage defile appears 
unearthly, and with his wonder at the novel scene is 
mingled the sense of desolation. The proximity of the 
haunts of man is inconceivable, and the Roman of the 
third century moves on, breathless to know the issue 
of his strange pilgrimage, when a gleam of sunshine 



THE GATEWAY. 227 

reveals before his astonished vision a temple of the 
fairest hue and rarest ornament — so lovely in so wild 
a spot, that it seems a spirit from a higher world 
alighted for a moments' rest ere it takes flight again 
for a fitter home. 

So admirably have the architects of Petra adapted 
their works to the natural scenery of that surpassing 
site. 

In a half hour along the dark defile, we reached the 
spot over which a light arch sprang from cliff to cliff, 
under which, on either side, was a niche flanked by 
pilasters. Here was probably the gateway of the city, 
and here ten men could have made effectual resistance 
against an army. On returning through the Sik, I 
found a fragment of a frieze containing a part of a Greek 
inscription. All that was intelligible were the letters 
m E'po. Traces of pavement remain along the Sik, 
and a rock-hewn gutter, along which the waters of the 
winter rains had been conducted, in order to allow a 
passage for the inhabitants through the defile. On our 
return, the Khasne burst upon us again, and drew 
from us expressions of admiration and astonishment, 
as if it were now beheld for the first. I doubt if the 
world contains a more enchanting sight than this rosy 
temple of the rock. Its colour, its position, its material, 
its delicacy of chiselling, and the wild flowers that grow 
before its portal, all render it a fairy miracle of love- 
liness. 

Opposite the theatre, the rocks are cut into caverns, 
of varied ornament. Some bear a remote resemblance 
to an Egyptian pylon ; others are topped by a curious 
staircase ornament. These seem of older date than 
the grand fagades, and may probably have been the 
tombs, temples, or dwellings of the ancient Edomites. 

We had intended remaining two days in Petra, but 



228 DEPARTURE FROM PETRA. 

the fierce-looking Arabs of Wady Mousa became so 
numerous in our camp that we deemed it prudent to 
leave, after a sojourn of twenty-four hours. They had 
not molested us ; but we had seen the principal 
points of the wonderful city, and were content to 
waive a more minute investigation, to obtain a re- 
lease from anticipations of a brush with our savage 
neighbours. So at noon of the day following our 
arrival, we were wending back by our route of en- 
trance, over the rocks and hills, and towards the great 
pass. We left, fully impressed that the Khasne and 
Ed-Deir, as well as the fine structures on the eastern 
cliff, were never tombs, but temples. The elaborate 
staircase to Ed-Deir and the niche in its wall, the po- 
sition of the Khasne and its style of ornament, and the 
apparent signification of a part of the Latin inscrip- 
tion, are some of the reasons for this impression. As 
we toiled among the inequalities of the path, we saw 
that " thorns had come up in the palaces of Edom, and 
nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof." It is 
a wonderful accomplishment of God's word that ren- 
ders Petra an uninhabited city. The caverns stand 
ready for occupants, but the Bedawee studiously 
avoids them, and makes his home beyond the confines 
of the abandoned capital, by the valleys and hills that 
lie eastward. 



(&Um anil fyt "Inutij Cntwtrij " 

THE PASS OF RUBEIYA— THE ARABAH— SAND-STORM— KADESH— 
SUFAH-RUINS- 

In about two hours from our encampment, we 
turned from our former route and commenced the de- 
scent of the Pass of Rubeiya, further north than Abu 
Gesheibeh. This was the worst of all the passes we 
had seen, and its scenery put Switzerland to the blush. 
There was the usual amount of camel groaning, the 
loosening of loads, and the cries of the Arabs, and at 
a distance of four hours from Petra, we halted (about 
two-thirds way down the pass) in a little retired hol- 
low that bordered the rough path, and offered just 
sufficient surface for our tents. The Arabah was 
spread out before us, and the summit of Mount Hor, 
with its white wely, appeared over intervening heights. 
We were struck with the mingling of limestone and 
red sandstone that marked the whole Petra region. 
The former generally supported a growth of thin pas- 
ture. A black millepede, of eight inches in length, 
was frequent, but was unlike the other branches 
of the family with whom I was acquainted, in being 
very slow in its movements. 

Our second day from Petra was spent in crossing 
the broad, sandy, hot Arabah. Directly across, it was 
here about ten miles ; but by our course, slanting 
16 



230 



THE ARAB AH. 



greatly to the north, it was at least twenty, if we call 
the main mountains of the western side the boundary 
of the plain. More strictly, the Arabah is hereabouts 
divided into two descriptions of surface : the eastern 
portion is a comparative plain, running directly to the 
mountains of Seir, while on the west, a hilly section 
occurs before reaching the high mountain barrier of 
the western desert. We only gained this hilly region 
on the evening of the second day, after a most fatiguing 
journey. The day was very hot, and a scorching 
khamseen, like the breath of a furnace, blew in our 
faces. This raised the loose sand of which this part 
of the great plain is composed, and filled our eyes with 
the minute particles. As El Weibeh, which we reached 
in nine and a half hours, is a great rendezvous for ma- 
rauders, we were compelled to journey a half hour 
beyond. A ten hours' camel ride can never be very 
agreeable, even amid all the luxuries of the earth, but 
over the Arabah in a khamseen, it savours of the bit- 
terness of the Inquisition. We had just encamped, 
when the wind violently increased, and a vast cloud 
of sand was seen to blacken the air on its approach. 
We thought of the pictured horrors of the Simoon, 
which we had often imagined, and we quailed. We 
took shelter behind our tents, and the Bedawin rolled 
themselves up in their garments to a total disappear- 
ance. I was some distance up a side wady, examining 
a small ruin, when I saw the great cloud whirling on- 
wards. I rushed precipitately to the camp to seek a 
refuge, and be present in case of danger. I just 
reached the tents as the storm burst upon us. Though 
it was early in the afternoon, yet there was the dim- 
ness of twilight about us. Our eyes, ears, noses, and 
mouths, and every nook and crevice of our boxes, were 
filled with the fine sand. It lasted but a few minutes. 



SAND-STORM. 



231 



and we were relieved for the time from any anxiety ; 
but in the evening we enjoyed another similar gust, 
which strained our tent ropes as if to bursting. The 
gale continued violent all night, and we slept in our 
clothes, through fear of losing our houses. 

A short distance from our Rubeiya encampment, we 
had left Ain Taiyibeh on the left ; supposed by some, 
with much probability, to be the Mosera of Deut. x. 6. 
Shortly after this, we had entered and passed through 
a wady of very singular formation, a part of the de- 
scent of Mount Seir. It was a winding gully, bounded 
by cliffs of a light clay. Down its centre runs a long 
rocky ridge, on which is the path for the camels. 
This ridge is barely wide enough for the beasts, and 
the traveller, thus mounted on this narrow summit, 
feels as moving along the ridge of a sloping roof. 
This wady bears the name of Gunaty, which is most 
appropriately pronounced Go-naughty. This descent 
had brought us fairly into the Arabah, and straightway 
all the caravan was formed into a compact body, lest 
stragglers might be cut off by marauding parties. 
Scouts were duly despatched in all directions, and the 
scarlet-robed Mohammed, taking a spy-glass from one 
of the party, mounted a sand-hill and amused himself 
by bravely telescoping the whole plain. However, we 
met no enemies but the khamseen. The path was 
marked by many parallel camel tracks, as if the route 
was much frequented. Heaps of stones marked the road 
where any uncertainty might have arisen. A hare, 
with ears erect, bounded before us over the sand. 
Four hours from our encampment, we had seen a dozen 
or more hewn stones, probably brought from some 
neighbouring post of the crusaders, and here placed 
to mark the road. An hour and a half further, we 
passed down into a wady (another wady within a wady) 



232 



KADESH BAEXEA. 



running N. W. It is called Wady Muthely, and rises 
a short distance east of the point where we entered 
it. In a quarter of an hour, we reached its junction, 
with Wady Jereida which enters from the north-east. 
This junction is a mile wide. The united wadys are 
called by the name of Jereida, and down this we kept, 
its boundary sand-hills completely hiding the rest of 
the Arab ah from view. Turning northward, and cut- 
ting off a small corner, we entered Wady el-Jeib, the 
great drain of the Arabah, in seven hours and fifteen 
minutes from our Rubeiya encampment. We crossed 
El-Jeib very slantingly northward, taking an hour and 
three-quarters for the passage. Mounting its western 
side, we gained El-Weibeh shortly after three in the 
afternoon. Here are three springs, a large quantity of 
coarse grass, a dozen or more palm bushes, and other 
verdure. Two springs (the more southern) are near 
together, but the third is a considerable distance to 
the north-west. The natural taste of the water in the 
two former was very unpleasant, and in the latter the 
low state of the spring and the abundance of weeds 
caused a taste equally disagreeable. The camels, how- 
ever, all drank heartily. This spot is supposed by Dr. 
Robinson to be Kadesh-Barnea, and his arguments are 
plain and powerful. I take this occasion of adding 
my testimony regarding the wonderful precision of Dr. 
Robinson's great work. I had his books and maps 
constantly by me while traversing Arabia Petrsea and 
Palestine, and examined them with more critical scru- 
tiny than it is probable they ever before received. 
With such admirable opportunities to form a correct 
estimate of the " Biblical Researches," I unhesitatingly 
assert my belief that a more minutely precise work 
was never written by man. We were daily and hourly 
put to new wonder at its elaborate perfection ; and in 



AIN HAZOO. 



233 



all differences between the statements of the Arabs 
and those of Dr. Robinson, the latter would invariably 
prove correct. 

I have mentioned a ruin which I was visiting at the 
time of the sand-storm. This was about a half mile 
from our encampment up the Wady Hazoo. Our camp 
was at the mouth of this wady, (which cpmes down 
from the west,) where is considerable verdure, caused 
by the waters of Ain Hazoo. I strolled up the wady, 
and found plenty of coarse grass and acacia trees, with 
a very small stream of brackish water running among 
them. On a clay hillock of perhaps thirty-five feet in 
height, and in the centre of the wady, was the ruin, a 
stone building of rude workmanship, about fifteen feet 
square ; it was a capital look-out, and I suppose may 
be referred to the days of the crusaders. 

In the Arabah we had seen several very large lizards 
(Arab. "Dhab"), of dusky brown colour, and about 
eighteen inches long. While in Wady Wettir, before 
reaching Akabah, we had found one of a gay green 
hue, and like size. 

The next day from Ain Hazoo, we were busy in tra- 
versing the hills that form the transition between the 
lower portion of the Arabah and the high western 
desert. Our course was not direct to the western 
mountains, but slanting northward in the direction of 
Hebron. The hills were of sand, of gravel, and of 
flint, and among them we crossed several wadys run- 
ning down to the Jeib. In these wadys grew many 
seyal trees. Vultures were soaring over our way, and 
some beautiful gazelles bounded before us. In two 
hours and thirty-five minutes from Ain Hazoo. we 
reached the brackish water and slight verdure of Ain 
Mureidhah. In about three hours after, we ascended 
the steep pass of Ghurar, which may be called the 



234 



THE MOUNTAIN-WALL. 



limit of the Arabah, though even yet a high ridge 
stood before us, which we were to scale before reach- 
ing the table-land of Judea. A half hour took us up 
the steep, which was followed by a short descent be- 
yond. Then came a sea of gravel and sand-hills, till 
we crossed the broad Wady Figreh, and reached the 
foot of the^ pass of Sufah about half-past two, eight 
hours and a half from Ain Hazoo. The whole scene 
was now most dreary, reminding us of the approach to 
Sinai. The truncated cone of Jebel Madurah lifted its 
lio-ht-brown form on our left — the mountain ridge of a 
thousand feet in height rose forbiddingly before us, and 
behind we looked upon a broken wilderness. Three 
passes in this vicinity scale this mountain-wall : that of 
Yemen, an apparent gash in the cliffs, was several miles 
at our left ; Sufey was nearer upon our right ; and Sufah, 
with which we had to contend, lay not very tempt- 
ingly in our course. The theory that makes El-Weibeh 
the Scripture Kadesh naturally places Hormah at this 
spot, and Sufah becomes a corruption of Zephath. (See 
Numbers xiv. 45, and Judges i. 17.) We thought it no 
wonder that the Amalekites and Amorites had been a 
little too much for Israel in this spot. I shouldn't have 
liked to have seen a single Amalekite dispute our pass- 
age, or I fear, fagged as we were with the tedious and 
laborious ascent, we should have not been sufficiently 
courageous to have denied his authority. We dismount- 
ed at the foot, and struck directly up a steep smooth 
rocky surface, while the camels took a more circuitous 
path. The heat (half-past 2 P. M.) was intense, and the 
ascent was pure climbing, and this pleasant work lasted 
an hour and a quarter, when we flung ourselves down 
on the summit, thoroughly exhausted, and determined 
not to stir a step further forward that day. We had 
never suffered so before. Well is the pass called Sufah 



SUFAH AND ITS HARDSHIPS. 



235 



(pronounced Suffer.) Our frames were wearied beyond 
measure, our throats were parched with thirst, and the 
heat had fevered our systems. We drank and seemed 
to find no satisfaction, and threw ourselves prostrate 
under our tents, gasping for breath. The thermometer 
showed a heat of 97° Fahrenheit in the shade of the 
rocks, but it was in the sun that our fatiguing ascent 
had been made. 

The ruins of Ibrahim Pacha's fort was close to our 
encampment, on a slight elevation above the small 
level on which we had pitched. Though Ibrahim 
Pacha made use of this building, I doubt not it existed 
long before he passed by with his army. The ruin 
bears marks of an age at least as distant as that of the 
crusades. The view hence was similar in character 
to that from the heights of Petra. The Arabah lay far 
below us, bounded by the mountain range of Sherah. 
Immediately beneath us was the sea of sand-hills we 
had crossed since leaving El-Weibeh. The Ghor at 
the south of the Dead Sea was visible upon our left, 
and to the right was the peculiar Jebel JVIadurah, a 
striking feature in the view. This Madurah is detach- 
ed from all other mountains, and rises from the plain 
as we may imagine the tower of Babel on the plain of 
Shinar. The Arabs have a story of a city formerly 
there, and it is highly probable that so fine a site 
once held a fortress. There was but little fodder for 
our camels where we had encamped, but we were too 
weary to think of advancing. The poor beasts had 
not for two days had much picking, and had all that 
day travelled slowly in consequence. It was, there- 
fore, with great regret we were forced to deny the 
patient creatures still longer. We were encamped as 
on the top of a house, precipices on almost every side, 
and our tents gathered within a very small compass. 



236 



THE SUMMIT. 



Yet there was a funniness in such a lodging place, and 
the view was so grand, comprising so vast an extent of 
desert stretched out as a map before us, that we en- 
joyed our encampment on Sufah with uncommon zest* 
The repose after our fatigue was no small ingredient 
of our delight. There, on that dreary summit, as a 
suitable spot, we reviewed our desert tour, and joyfully 
anticipated our arrival in two days among scenes of 
civilized life. No Israelite ever coveted a sight of 
Canaan more than we. We had found desert journey- 
ing, in spite of its romance and novelty, a wearisome 
task, and Hebron wore, in our minds, a hue of perfect 
loveliness that we never before had attached to any- 
thing earthly. 

We had become very much interested in Moham- 
med, and each evening we held long chats on every 
conceivable subject on which an Arab is capable of 
discoursing. We urged upon the young Edomite 
the advantages of foreign travel, and recounted de- 
scriptions of other countries, as baits to his curi- 
osity ; but Mohammed was a Bedawee all over ; to our 
queries whether he ever would visit other lands, he 
gave a most significant " La ! la ! " (Xo ! no !) and, 
pointing to the grim mountains of Esau, he said that 
there was his home, and why should he leave it ? His 
ideas of the world beyond the desert were as dark as 
his face, — even old Besharah had more correct con- 
ceptions of Frankdom, for he had made a formal appli- 
cation to us to use our influence in making him Consul 
of England and America for the Sinai peninsula ! ! ! 
But Mohammed was above such mean distinction. He 
had rather a poor opinion of anything or anybody that 
didn't live among sand and rocks, and was fairly dis- 
gusted when he heard that we had no camels in our 
country. I tried to give him some comprehension of 



> 

KURXUB. 



237 



steamboats, railroads, and magnetic telegraphs, but I 
was compelled to desist, lest the dignified Idumean 
should fairly write us madmen. He listened with a 
credence worthy of an auditor of the " Arabian Nights." 
His knowledge of civilization was not much more ex- 
tensive than such as was derived from occasional visits 
to Hebron, and, consequently, the world beyond the 
desert was to him a confused mass of governors and 
quarantines. No marvel, the independent warrior saw 
little attraction out of his wilderness. 

The next morning we left Sufah, passing a few small 
stone buildings near the path, and for an hour descend- 
ed very gradually over a rough way to the green plain 
of Et-Teraibeh, that spread out to another low range 
of heights before us. The green of the plain made us 
believe we were fairly out of the desert, but it was 
really but the transition state we were now entering. 
The verdure was a thin growth of wild barlev and 
wild oats, from among which the scarlet anemone here 
and there lifted itself. Crossing this plain, the pass of 
Murzeikah led us up the low range of heights. The 
ascent was but of twenty minutes, and sufficiently 
gradual, but the heat of the day and the confined cha- 
racter of the ravine, together with its dazzling lime- 
stone, rendered it very exhausting. We soon saw our 
first Judean ruin. It was Kurnub, situated on a small 
hill, nearly a mile to the left of our path. Dr. Robinson 
supposes it the Tamar of Ezekiel. 

The hills now became greener and more rounded, 
and the larks were singing about us : we were fast 
leaving the wastes of the desert. We were entering 
the land which for 1500 years held the most wonderful 
people that ever dwelt on earth, and which had borne 
the footsteps of the incarnate God. The Land of 
Promise — the land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 
— the land of the Redeemer — the land of Comfort and 



238 



AROER. 



Hope, was now ours to tread, — we were at its portals, 
and we entered with the Bible in our hands. 

Mohammed had called us aside, and told us if we 
would give a little for the extra trouble, he would not 
care for his father's orders, but carry us direct to He- 
bron instead of Dhahariyeh. Of course, this had been 
old Hossein's own trick to derive an increase of re- 
muneration, the Hebron quarantine having been a good 
tool for his purposes. We pretended to exceeding 
verdancy (as our interest was greatly at stake, owing 
to the difficulty of procuring animals at Dhahariyeh to 
take us to Hebron), and told the young Sheikh we 
would gladly do so. He told us to say nothing (as if 
he was engaged in a profound exercise of cunning), 
and he would take the Hebron route. This relieved us 
of some anxiety, and for the additional distance our 
model Sheikh was satisfied with a small premium. 

In Wady Ararah (Aroer of Robinson), we passed 
several dam-like structures, of undoubted antiquity, 
built, probably, for purposes of irrigation, when all this 
land was so richly fertile as to merit the epithet of 
" flowing with milk and honey." In this wady we passed 
some more ruins upon the right and left, to which the 
Arabs gave the name of El-Kuzeir. It may be the site 
of Gezer (Joshua, xii. 12, and 1 Kings, ix. 15, 16, 17,) 
which must have stood in this vicinity. The ruins con- 
sisted of small stone buildings, greatly dilapitated. A 
solitary Dhullam Arab and his camel appeared near the 
spot. Shortly after, we came to the first wheat field ; 
and after a hot, fatiguing day, we encamped for the last 
time in the desert, in a tributary of Wady Milh. Some 
imposing ruins appeared eastward. I ran to them, 
(perhaps a half mile) and found but the remains of an 
Arab cemetery. The most conspicuous ruin was of a 
sort of mosque-tomb, which distance had greatly helped 
to magnify in my imagination. 



« 



Slttha. 



THE FRONTIER MAON AND CARMEL HEBRON QUARANTINE 

JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM POOLS OF SOLOMON- — GARDENS 

BETHLEHEM ENTRANCE INTO THE HOLY CITY. 

The next morning we were off early, panting after 
Hebron. The " hill-country of Judea" lay before us. 
In twenty minutes we arrived at the wells of Milh — 
two strong-built monuments of ancient Palestine. 
Their curbs are of fine white marble, grooved by the 
friction of ropes. In all directions around these wells 
were strewn quantities of unhewn stone, the materials 
of a former settlement. We had passed Kurnub at a 
distance, and El Kuzeir was somewhat removed from 
our path, but here our route lay directly among the 
remnants of a town of Judah, of undoubted scriptural 
antiquity. Here, it is highly probable, Abraham and 
the two succeeding patriarchs had often watered their 
immense flocks, for they dwelt, we know, in this vicin- 
ity. After them, perhaps, no descendant of the father 
of the faithful had visited these refreshing waters, until 
Caleb and his colleagues, while traversing the country 
between Kadesh and Hebron, rested here, we may be- 
lieve, from the fatigues of their desert journey. Thirty- 
eight years thereafter, Joshua, as commander of the 
host of Israel, had swept this southern land with the 
besom of destruction, and the children of Judah be- 
came the fixed possessors of the soil. Yet this 



240 



HISTORY OF THE FRONTIER. 



frontier station must have felt the force of the fre- 
quent invasions of the surrounding nations. The 
Mesopotamians, the Moabites, the Midianites, the 
Amalekites, and the Philistines, had severally seized 
upon the outskirts of Judah, and these wells had often 
satisfied the thirst of these hostile tribes. Still, under 
the Judges, the enemies were again and again repulsed. 
During the administration of the holy Samuel, the land 
was comparatively free from these marauders ; but 
when Saul became the first monarch of Israel, the 
Philistines seem to have attained their greatest vigour, 
and his whole reign was spent in warfare with these 
pertinacious foes. Under David and Solomon, this 
frontier enjoyed its longest period of rest ; but the sins 
of Rehoboam brought up a greater enemy than the 
land had ever before known, in the person of Shishak, 
King of Egypt. Then, again, this southern border 
enjoyed a long period of quiet through many reigns, 
while the sins of Judah were visited by incursions of 
enemies upon the north. In the reign of Hezekiah, it 
is probable the Assyrian hosts of Sennacherib spread 
themselves over this region ; for we hear of them at 
Lachish, in the south of Judah. Under Manasseh the 
Assyrians were again troublesome ; and Josiah found 
in Pharaoh-Nechoh another Shishak. The land was 
now so enfeebled that the Egyptian conqueror even 
named its monarch, when Nebuchadnezzar, the great 
autocrat of Babylon, snatched the prey from Nechoh's 
hands, and for seventy years a foreign sway afflicted 
the country of David and Solomon. Then came the 
return of the captives, by order of Cyrus ; but, both 
under the Persian and Grecian empires, this border 
could have seen but little peace, situated as it was 
between the great provinces (and afterwards inde- 
pendent sovereignties) of Egypt and Syria. Even the 



MILH. 



241 



Roman power could not entirely arrest the incursions 
of the Arab tribes. Rome gave way to Moslem might, 
and the last thousand years have witnessed the weaken- 
ing influences of the Prophet's sway. 

No marvel, then, that ruins mark the former sites of 
cities in this border-land. We thought of the various 
nations whose representatives had slaked their thirst 
at these old wells during the past three thousand years, 
and speculated on the wonders that the future might 
reveal in this neglected spot 

This Milh is supposed by Dr. Robinson to be the 
Bible Moladah, not from etymological but from histori- 
cal testimony. 

From Milh we struck north-easterly past the hill of 
Kuseifeh* to the range of heights before us. Kuseifeh 
showed extensive ruins on our left, and among them two 
columns were conspicuous. In three hours from Milh 
we were gently ascending among the hills, and shortly 
after saw gladly the first ploughed field — then came 
another and another — flocks of sheep and goats, with 
tending herdsmen, were now first seen — the desert was 
fast passing away. A horse next caught our attention 
— this too w r as the first of its kind we had seen since 
leaving Egypt, and as it passed by our camels, we 
laughed loudly at its pigmy appearance. It bore a 
JehalyArab, armed with a lance of unreasonable length. 
Near by was an encampment of Jehalin, the black 
tents clinging to the hillside. El Kuryetein, the ruins 
of a considerable town, was passed upon our right. Is 
not this the Kerioth of Joshua (xv. 25) ? Here were 
many Jehalin, the Abrahams and Isaacs of the day, 
with their flocks, herds, and camels. A steep ascent 
of thirty-five minutes brought us to the summit of the 

* Perhaps this is the Ziph of the Southern country of Judah (Joshua xv. 24.) 



242 



THE HILL COUNTRY OF JUDEA. 



heights, and we were now in the hill country of Judea. 
A fine view of the mountains of Moab presented itself, 
though a range of intervening sandy heights com- 
pletely shut from view the basin of the Dead Sea. We 
continued along an elevated ridge for an hour, the path 
being almost on a level. We thought of Abraham, 
who looked from a point only a few miles further north 
upon the smoke of burning Sodom. The dense cloud 
of vapour lifting itself from behind those dreary hills 
must have formed a scene peculiarly impressive to the 
mind of the patriarch. Several deep cisterns, with 
small and well-like mouths, attracted our attention 
along the road. Each had a huge stone rolled into 
the mouth, so large, however, as to prevent its falling 
into the cistern ; — this custom brought forcibly to 
mind the sweet pastoral scene of Jacob and Rachel, 
which occurred by " the great stone that was upon 
the well's mouth." Descending slightly, we passed 
the ruins of Maon and Carmel — the former upon a. 
conspicuous hill, and the latter further north and 
more extensive. The principal ruin at the latter is 
the large castle, which is placed by Dr. Robinson in 
the Herodian age, and its pointed arches are supposed 
to be a modern repair of the Saracens. Its arched roof 
is in ruins. About the remains a few Arabs were feed- 
ing their flocks, and some of their number had climbed 
to the top of the walls to gaze at the passing strangers. 
East of the main ruins is a natural amphitheatre, formed 
by the hills, in which is a large reservoir of water, 
from which some shepherds were busily engaged in 
drawing. Of course we could not look upon these ruins 
and these rural scenes without deep emotion, and a 
vivid recollection of the story of Abigail, the Carme- 
litess. " There was a man in Maon, whose possessions 
were in Carmel." His dwelling was on the loftier 



MA0N AND CARMEL. 



243 



height of Maon, while his farm lands lay in the more 
fertile region of Carmel, a few miles northward. David 
had been hiding at Engedi, near the Dead Sea, some 
fifteen miles to the east of Carmel, and getting know- 
ledge of a sheep-shearing (always a time of merri- 
ment) that was taking place on the farm of the wealthy 
NabaJ, he despatches a commission to the Carmelite 
to ask a participation in the joy. They naively re- 
mark that they had " come in a good day," but their 
hints are of no avail, and they bring back word to 
David of their disappointment and insult. Then comes 
the preparation for revenge on the part of the young 
Bethlehemite, and the propitiatory conduct of Abigail. 
The laden asses and the fair escort meet the youthful 
warrior, and his revenge gives way to love. Nabal 
dies, and Abigail becomes the bride of David. This 
romantic yet truthful story threw an indescribable inte- 
rest over the spot. We felt we had reached enchanted 
ground, and the delight of past scenes was forgotten 
in the superior enjoyments of the Land of Promise. 

At Carmel we saw the first cows, of a very small 
breed, and shortly after discovered several yoke of oxen 
before the ploughs. These ploughs were of rude con- 
struction, but had one improvement I had not expected 
to see in Palestine,— this was a tin tube running down 
behind the coulter, and into which the ploughman cast 
the seed as he ploughed. The character of the sur- 
face, with its beaten path, its rocky ground, its thorny 
thickets, and its fertile patches, brought to our minds 
the parable of the sower. The flat rocks are in many 
places hollowed to receive water, and at these hollows 
the flocks are watered. On our left we saw Jutta, and 
about it were the first trees we had seen in Palestine. 
This Jutta is, of course, the Juttah of Scripture, and 
most probably the town where Elizabeth lived and was 



244 



JUTTA. 



visited by the Virgin Mary.* It was pleasant to look 
at that cluster of trees, and think of the events, so 
quiet and yet so fraught with wonderful results to man ? 
that had there transpired. 

" Um el-Amad " (the mother of the pillar) was 
another field of ruins on our right, and soon after Tell 
Zif, a mound, rose near us, behind which were the 
ruins of Ziph. The abundance of ruins that a travel- 
ler beholds on entering the Holy Land, while it aston- 
ishes him, clearly testifies to the former fertility and 
populous settlement of the country. After passing 
Tell Zif, we entered the Hebron hills, and for an hour 
wound among them ; the hills were not lofty, and were 
separated from one another by very narrow valleys. 
The face of the country all day had resembled that of 
the downs of England, though much more stony, the 
soil often appearing very rich. Shrubs grew plenteously, 
but trees were seen only in a few instances. We had 
left the plains of wild barley, when we ascended from 
the level of Milh, and entered the hill country of Judea. 
I was glad to escape from the almost interminable 
tracts of wild barley, for its long sharp beard constantly 
pierced my slippered feet, when I walked, and ren- 
dered me a cripple. We had found the hill country 
(as before said) of a different growth. Cultivation had 
touched it here and there, and even where no tillage 
was seen, the wild growth was shrubs and bushes. 
Such, too, was the general appearance of the hills of 
Hebron, as we slowly wound among them, till, upon 
turning a corner, we suddenly saw one of the most 
transporting sights we had ever witnessed. It was the 

* St. Luke's words are/E^ropeu^ slg tfoXiv 'Io^a" (went to a city of Judah). 
This sense is frigid, and Reland well conjectures 'Ioura ; the paragraph will 
then read, " she went to the city of Juttah." This emendation is followed by 
many distinguished commentators. 



HEBRON. 



245 



Vale of Hebron. Fields of all shades of green lay 
stretched out before us, and the hill-side smiled with 
vineyards, green fig trees, olive orchards, and pome- 
granates. We shouted with inexpressible ecstacy. 
The last trace of the desert had faded away, and we 
were again in the world — the world of life and beauty. 
Another turn brought the gray stone town before our 
eyes ; it rested sweetly along the eastern hill, and we 
thought it the fairest object on which he had ever gazed. 
We kept along the pathway, which follows the base of 
the western hills, and met many women and girls who 
had come out from the town. One peculiarly beautiful 
face called out our exclamations, for since leaving Italy 
we had travelled through lands of feminine ugliness. 

Passing along the front of the town, we looked up at 
the large mosque, the main building of the place, and 
saw with interest the two pools by our side, one of 
them " the pool of Hebron" mentioned in Scripture. 
Turning to the left into a little alcove in the hills, 
a beautiful green sward lay before us, and here we 
pitched our tents, in full view of the interesting town. 
A new, clean looking building, resembling a miniature 
model of the Sinai convent, stood behind us, and from 
this issued a deputation to meet us. They stood at a 
respectful distance, and in a most undignified manner 
took to their heels if we attempted to be neighbourly. 
This deputation was composed of several lazy Turks 
and an Italian doctor. They informed us that persons 
arriving from the desert were considered in Hebron as 
infected ; that the building so clean and new behind us 
was the quarantine, and that we were respectfully in- 
vited to take up our lodgings therein for the space of 
seven days. We replied that we regretted that the 
authorities should be guilty of such folly as to reckon 
persons infected who had been more than a month on 
17 



246 



QUARANTINE. 



the free, open desert, — that we should, however, obey 
the powers that were, by remaining stationary for a 
week, but as to entering a house, in which we knew 
not how many unpleasant bedfellows rioted, when we 
had tents in plenty, and a delicious green lawn where- 
on to encamp, was a thing too preposterous for the 
honourable delegation to demand. The delegation re- 
ceived our reply with becoming gravity, but entirely 
demurred from our last position. The building had 
been erected for travellers, and into it travellers mast 
<jo. We turned to our Arabs and told them to have 
the tents pitched as soon as possible, and the delega- 
tion were struck dumb by our impudence. We knew 
their great desire to have us within four walls was to 
derive increased pecuniary benefits from our sojourn ; 
and we knew, also, that any attempt to force us into 
the building would place our compellers in a like state 
of quarantine with ourselves ; we therefore stoutly re- 
sisted, and had no fear that they would long insist on 
the matter. It was as we anticipated. The green 
lawn was, for the time, consecrated to the goddess 
Hygeia, and we held undisputed sway over this terri- 
tory. None of the prqfanum vulgus were allowed to 
come within a respectful distance of our new posses- 
sion, and we were as proud as the lunatic who fancies 
himself a king in his cell. Two or three Hebronites 
entered into our service as "guardians," (a name 
adopted by the Turks from the Italians, and used 
throughout the Levant,) to perform various tent duties ; 
and two or three others remained without the infected 
district, as our messengers to the town for eatables, 
&c. Two sleepy looking Turkish soldiers, in baggy 
trowsers, guarded our camp, to prevent our sudden de- 
parture ; but two muskets without holders would have 
proved as effectual an obstacle, if we had desired such 



THE ALA WIN. 



247 



an issue. However, we could imagine them as guards 
to our royal selves, and as part of the appurtenances 
of our green domain. 

On each side of our encampment was a Moslem 
graveyard ; behind, the terraced hills rose beautifully, 
well stocked with olives ; and before us was the town, 
lying along the opposite hills. On the evening of our 
arrival we paid our Sheikh Mohammed the remaining 
one-third of the money of the contract, and 500 
additional piastres, ($25,) as including both " back- 
sheesh" and extra pay for making Hebron instead of 
Dhahariyeh the end of his route. He was perfectly 
satisfied, and thanked us heartily. Though our caravan 
had consisted of thirty-three camels, yet we paid only 
for twenty-eight, and not a murmur resulted. This 
was according to old Hossein's word at Akabah. In 
all things the Alawin and their sheikhs had treated us 
with kindness and honour, and we formed a far higher 
opinion of their noble qualities than we had of the 
begging, tricking, though good-natured Towarah. I 
had ridden from Akabah on Sheikh Salim's favourite 
camel, and a fine animal it was. When I first mounted, 
Sheikh Salim came up and kissed the petted beast, 
and then turning to me, said, " As you care for me, 
care for him." The incident had made a deep impres- 
sion, shewing what kind feelings may dwell in a 
Bedawee's heart. 

The next morning, after paying Mohammed, I paid 
the camel-men only five piastres (twenty-five cents) 
apiece, the leaders of our camels receiving twenty 
piastres ($1.) Notwithstanding the small amount, they 
were all grateful, and not one asked for a present, ex- 
cepting a semi-fool of the party, who begged a kejiyeh. 
Mohammed kissed us on both cheeks at parting, and 
we warmly returned his salutation. We were so 



248 



DELIGHT AT ARRIVING. 



pleased with the Alawin, that we could not refrain from 
complimenting them in the most approved manner, and 
we gave them loud and cordial huzzas as they left us, 
the next morning after our arrival, to regain their be- 
loved home in the desert. They looked nobly as they 
rode off with flying kefiyehs, Mohammed with his 
scarlet robes conspicuous among his brethren. A 
quarantine guard on horseback preceded them, to con- 
duct them beyond the bounds of Hebron. 

We were joyous in the extreme at having left the 
desert. A great weight of anxiety was removed from 
my mind, and I breathed freely. We had undergone 
fatigue, heat, and thirst, such as we never before had 
experienced, and our route had been through a land 
where attack was most to be feared. With all this, 
we had reached Hebron almost in perfect health, and 
in the highest spirits. We had all grown perceptibly 
thin since leaving Cairo, but did not view that as a sub- 
ject of regret. In the place where Abraham had often 
lifted up his voice to God, it was no small privilege 
for us to review our desert journey, and raise our voices 
in thanksgiving to the same great guide and Saviour. 

Hebron lies, as before stated, on the eastern side of 
the valley and on the slope of the eastern hills. The 
valley is only a quarter of a mile in width, and in 
some parts less than that. The town may be divided 
into three distinct portions ; first, the main town, which 
lay immediately before our encampment, and which 
covered the h ill-side nearly to the summit; secondly, 
a smaller cluster of houses further north, and extend- 
ing only one-third the height of the hill ; and thirdly, a 
small quasi suburb on the west side of the valley, just 
south of our encampment. All the houses are of gray 
stone, and are built in the usual Syrian style, like 
square boxes, generally surmounted by a small dome. 



THE CAVE OF MACHPELAH. 



249 



About the centre of the main town is the celebrated 
mosque, consisting of a large oblong enclosure, with 
square tower-like minarets on the N. W. and S. E. 
corners. The walls are of immense stones, of darker 
hue than the houses of the town, and adorned with 
plain pilasters. Along the top of this wall is a battle- 
ment of lighter colour and evident modern erection. 
This wall (as seen from the opposite hill) merely en- 
closes a court, at the south extremity of which is an 
edifice, closely resembling a country methodist stee- 
pleless church. It appears to be plastered without, 
and has a facade higher than the roof. This building 
is, of course, the mosque proper, and here is said to 
be the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob and their wives lie buried. The large 
bevelled stones of the wall must be of great antiquity, 
and may with reason be referred to the days of Jewish 
glory. The cave of Machpelah must certainly be in 
this neighbourhood, and may as well be supposed be- 
neath the mosque as elsewhere ; only, in that case, we 
must consider the town as somewhat moved from its 
original position, as the mosque is not now in anything 
corresponding to afield of Ephron the Hittite. 

Between our camp and the town, just at the foot of 
our green slope, was the large pool, a well built, rec- 
tangular basin of masonry one hundred and thirty-three 
feet in length, with a descent of stone steps at its 
eastern corner. It was over this pool that the hands 
and feet of Rechab and Baanah, the murderers of 
Ishbosheth, were hung. 

For five days we had Hebron, its mosque, its pool, 
and its surrounding olives, whose ashy foliage covered 
every hill, before our eyes, and not a feature in the 
scene escaped our scrutiny. We spent our time in 
reading the small stock of books we had completely 



250 



WEDDING. 



worn out with reading before, in writing letters and 
journals, and in watching the noticeable occurrences 
in our vicinity. Quoits and leapfrog were not de- 
spised, and in the latter, we worked wonders before 
the eyes of the Hebronites. 

We had sent to Jerusalem to seek a release from 
quarantine at the hands of the English Consul, but in 
vain. The only compromise we could effect, was to 
have our seven days interpreted in the Eastern manner, 
to wit, the part of seven days. Our quarantine was, 
therefore, really to be but of five and a half days du- 
ration. Indeed, this was all that had been intended 
by our quarantine authorities at the first, but we were 
too tenacious of the Frank system of reckoning to 
understand. 

The first night in our Hebron camp, we were enter- 
tained by a wedding festival. We could see the glare 
of the torches in the town, and hear the monotonous 
and loud cries of the multitude. We could detect no 
instrumental music. The song seemed to consist of 
two responsive dirge-like choruses, each of six sylla- 
bles, and repeated without abatement, and apparently 
by the same voices, for hours. It was a most weari- 
some and doleful jubilee. 

The next morning we witnessed a long funeral pro- 
cession pass into the burial-ground at our side. A 
number of women, veiled in white, preceded, and a 
melancholy dirge (the twin of the wedding song) ac- 
companied the solemn march. 

For four successive days there was a new funeral 
procession that issued from the town, and deposited 
a human wreck among the tombstones of the cemetery. 
In each case appeared the white-veiled women, always 
apart from the men, and the dismal chanting was an 
unfailing accompaniment. The bodies were borne on 



JACKALS. 



251 



biers, and reminded us of the scene before the gate of 
Nam. 

Every day (apart from the funeral processions) 
scores of these white-veiled females would come and 
sit among the tombs, resembling a flock of pigeons 
alighted. From a near view of their faces when their 
veils were withdrawn, we had great doubts regarding 
the depth of their sorrow. The grave-yard is, rather, 
a " ladies' exchange " at Hebron, where the fair Sy- 
rians assemble to talk scandal over the dead, — as fit a 
place for such employment as was ever used. 

At night, the whole vale echoed with the howls of 
dogs and jackals roaming after prey. This recalled 
the words of David regarding the iniquitous — " They 
return at evening ; they make a noise like a dog, and 
go round about the city." — (Psalm lix. 6.) 

Abd-er-Rhaman, the notorious Arab, now Governor 
of Hebron, often stopped, in passing, and spoke a few 
words to us. They were always of the same import, 
begging our camel rope-nets. His gubernational dig- 
nity was no obstacle to his grasping propensities, even 
though begging was the means, and a few ropes the 
end. We refused the official beggar again and again, 
but he never wearied of asking. He was a man of, 
apparently, sixty-five, with a cunning eye, and a mouth 
in perpetual movement ; probably a habit obtained by 
having been often made to eat his words. He dressed 
in the Bedawee cloak, and, with his ragged retinue, 
was a complete " loafer " on horseback. His brother 
and son sometimes accompanied him in his passages 
to and from the quarantine establishment. 

Our tents having been pitched upon the grass, and 
every night bringing heavy dews, we found a dampness 
in our natural floors, exceedingly disagreeable, and the 
very opposite extreme from our desert experience. 



L 



252 



THE COUNTRY. 



The tents every morning were almost dripping with 
moisture, and our beds and bedding nearly in a similar 
state ; yet, to our surprise, we managed to quit Hebron 
without cough or catarrh. Long tracks of two inches 
wide were worn in all directions through the grass by 
the large black-bodied, red-headed ants, and myriads 
of these industrious creatures were constantly seen 
traversing these paths of their own formation. The 
multitudes of these busy animals, and the regular 
character of their miniature roads, were incredible, 
and formed a subject of our astonishment the whole 
time of our quarantine. We were visited during 
our stay by several Jerusalemites. Among others, the 
Secretary of the British Consul arrived, and Mr. 
Meshullam, whose neat little hotel in the Holy City is 
well known and praised by every late traveller in 
Palestine, brought us the latest European news. 

We thus remained stationary for our allotted term, 
enjoying the pleasant prospect of the sweet scenery of 
the vale. The figs, vines, and pomegranates, we were 
never weary in viewing ; and they clustered about this 
retired spot so witchingly , that we felt the " happy val- 
ley" of Rasselas was here realized. 

The afternoon previous to our full liberty, we walked, 
under the guidance of our guardians, to Abraham's 
Oak, a half hour north-west of Hebron, along the vale, 
there considerably enlarged. The road was a rough 
mule-path, and, in some parts, exhibited specimens of 
a break-neck pavement. On each side were vineyards 
and olive orchards, each vineyard having its lodge in 
the centre, — a plain, square, stone building, " the 
tower" of our Lord's parable. The round hills were 
laid out in terraces, supported by stone walls, and here 
grew all the mingled verdure of fig and apricot, vine, 
and pomegranate, and olive. Frequently the gray 



ESIICOL. 



253 



rock jutted out from the fertile soil : this was the 
" stony ground " of the sower. We passed several 
wells and springs upon the way, and at one we rested 
and drank, remembering the incident of Jacob's well, 
when the wearied Jesus rested upon its brink. The 
spreading old oak was visible at a distance, and a 
venerable aspect it had. Its boughs stretch out not 
more than seven feet above the ground at their ex- 
tremities, forming a delicious bower for a noon-day 
siesta. The least circumference of the trunk is twenty- 
two feet nine inches, and the circumference of the 
foliage is more than 250 feet ! A large grim owl was 
sitting among its branches, enjoying the twilight of his 
position, and appearing like a guardian spectre of the 
tree. The oak is well supposed to have an age of at 
least five hundred years, though tradition has made 
itself as ridiculous as usual, in declaring it the very 
tree of Abraham. Yet it was under such a tree, and 
in this neighbourhood, that the patriarch entertained 
his heavenly guests. A well stood near the old oak, 
and we could fancy that thence the water was drawn 
to wash the feet of the angel visitants. Not only did 
we think of Abraham in this interesting spot, but the 
spies of Israel were present to our minds ; for here 
Sir Moses Montefiore had obtained a bunch of grapes 
nearly a yard in length, such as those spies had borne 
" between two, upon a staff," to the camp of their 
brethren, as tokens of the land's fertility. We were, 
indeed, in the country of Eshcol and Mamre. 

After returning to the camp, we mounted the hill 
upon the west of the town, behind our green lawn. We 
ascended over terrace upon terrace, and through a 
thick orchard of aged olives. On the summit, we 
found the ruins of a Saracen fort, of one hundred feet 
square. Many of the rooms were entire, and the 



254 



DEPARTURE FROM HEBRON. 



stones in some parts of the walls were uncommonly 
large. The pointed arch, the gingerbread ornaments 
and flat domes were abundant — the remnants of two 
good sized columns, a mill partly ruined, and fragments 
of staircases, were all that was noticeable. From the 
summit of a tower that rises within, and higher than 
the walls, we could perceive that no other ruins existed 
on this hill. A large olive grew amid the ruins, telling 
of their state of dilapidation for a long period. At 
length the morning of our freedom dawned. The 
Italian doctor came and scrutinized our faces, and not 
being able to find any great paleness or other marks of 
disease, pronounced us well, and gave us " pratique." 
Poor Ibrahim, who was still grievously sick, though re- 
covering, was passed over in the examination, he hav- 
ing been enjoined to look well in spite of his malady, 
for we had no idea of having his fever magnified into 
some contagious disease for the sake of the quarantine 
fund. 

Horses had been provided for our journey to Jerusa- 
lem, and we mounted them with new sensations, after 
a months' experience of camel-riding. Sending on our 
luggage, we made the first use of our liberty in visiting 
the town. We entered at the south, and first visited 
the mosque ; a hundred jealous, scowling Mussulmans, 
watched our survey, to forbid our entrance within the 
holy place, and we had to rest satisfied with an outward 
examination. A covered fountain of slight pretensions 
stood near the walls, but this and the fact that no pilas- 
ters were to be found on the back wall, were all the 
additional discoveries we made. Leaving the mosque,, 
we passed through the bazaars, dark arched ways, 
like the crypts of a Saxon church, though now and 
then a gleam of light from some opening in the stone? 
or a brief space of leafy roof, where vines grew over 



THE ROAD NORTHWARD. 



255 



trellises, gave some relief to the dismal character of the 
marts of business in Hebron. We noticed two factories 
of water-skins — the skins stuffed and sunning on the 
tops of the low houses, looked like the mutilated bodies 
of their former possessors. 

We found Hebron not so clean in reality as it had 
been in appearance from our encampment. Its narrow 
lanes were full of oriental fragrance, yet it compared 
well with any town in Egypt. The population is esti- 
mated at ten thousand, one-third of whom are Jews. 
Judging from the size of the town, I should consider 
this far too high an estimate, though all rules fail in the 
census of an Eastern community. 

Leaving Hebron at the north end of the town, we 
took the road to Jerusalem. The vale became gradu- 
ally broader, but the hills wore the same appearance, 
round, rocky, well-sprinkled with olives, terraced natu- 
rally and artificially, and abounding in vineyards, the 
vines being so pruned as to resemble young fruit trees. 
Taking a more easterly valley, we did not pass the old 
oak. We soon passed the ruined village of Khurbet en 
Nusarah, and then another known as Ramet el Khulil. 
Beyond these, on an elevated position at our right, was 
the mosque Neby Yunus (Prophet Jonah), and the 
village of Hulhul. Here the Mussulman says the Pro- 
phet was buried. One hour from Hebron was Ain ed- 
Dirweh, a fountain, with many ruins in its vicinity — 
which Dr. Robinson suggests to be Bethzur (Josh. xv. 
58), and Bonar supposes Sirah (2 Sam. iii. 26.) The 
latter opinion seems to have the best evidence, but both 
may be correct, the place having possessed two names. 
There are very few data in the matter. 

Beit-Ummer is the name of a ruin upon the left of 
the road, opposite which is a stagnant pool of appa- 
rently ancient date. Then came Beit-Hagar and Beit- 



256 



POOLS OF SOLOMON. 



Haran, so thickly scattered are the rains of Judea. Our 
road now wound monotonously through a less culti- 
vated district for two hours, when (in four hours and 
forty minutes from Hebron) we reached the Pools of 
Solomon, at the head of a deep wady running towards 
Bethlehem. These pools are three in number, situated 
at short intervals along the wady, and are formed of 
plastered masonry. All travellers unite in yielding to 
them a high antiquity, and perhaps there is no reason 
to object to their existence in the days of Solomon. 
They may be the " pools of water " which " the 
Preacher " made " to water therewith the wood that 
bringeth forth trees." The pools are of large dimen- 
sions, being respectively 582, 423, and 380 feet in 
length, and averaging 178, 205, and 232 feet in breadth. 
What is very curious, the highest pool has no regu- 
larity in its shape, no two of its sides being parallel, 
and the other two differ greatly in their breadths at 
different points. The configuration of the valley was 
probably the reason of this lack of symmetry. The 
highest pool was half full of water, the second held 
some, though half its bottom was bare, and the third 
held a little at the eastern end, forming a little marsh, 
where the frogs were vociferating in full chorus. The 
bottoms of the pools are very uneven, owing, I sup- 
pose, to the nature of the wady's bed. The sealed 
fountain, that aided in supplying the pools, is now 
filled up to the arch with rubbish. I descended 
some dozen steps, and found a small vestibule which 
had led into the blocked-up apartment. Through this 
vestibule the water ran down to the pools. Near by 
were the remains of an aqueduct that once brought 
water from El Khudr, or St. George, as a feeder to the 
pools. By the north side of the first and highest pool, 



SOLOMON'S GARDENS. 



257 



stands a large, clumsy Saracen castle, filled, at the 
time of our visit, with filth and Arabs. 

After a full survey of the pools and their neighbour- 
hood, we abandoned the usual route to Jerusalem, and 
struck down the wady of the pools towards Bethlehem. 
It became quite a dell, and in a brief time, as we 
turned northward, a beautiful sight appeared — the vale 
beyond and below us was filled with the richest foliage 
and in finest cultivation ; the hill-sides, being here very 
barren, added by contrast tenfold to the beauty of this 
little Paradise. Here, says tradition, Solomon had his 
vineyards, gardens, and orchards, that were watered 
by the stream from those noble pools. It was a 
charming spot for the monarch's pleasure grounds, and 
the tradition is a happy one, if not true. Mr. Meshul- 
lam, who was to be our host in Jerusalem, was the 
present lessee of this beautiful valley, and under his 
escort we passed among the groves and by the side of 
a gentle brook that fertilized the vale. The ruins of a 
village clung to the left hill-side. This spot is called 
by Dr. Robinson, Urtas, and is supposed by him to be 
the Etam of Scripture, the Etham of Josephus and the 
Talmud. The only name I could derive from the 
guides, was El Tos (the cup), and the shape of the 
verdant valley is sufficient reason for this title. East 
of this sweet spot rose conspicuously the flat-topped 
height of Jebel el Fureidis, which Pococke suggests 
may be Beth Haccerem; " blow the trumpet in Tekoa, 
and set up a sign of fire in Beth Haccerem." The site 
of Tekoa is ascertained without doubt a little south- 
* ward of this mountain, and there is every probability 
of the truth of Pococke's suggestion. Certainly there 
could be no better place for a signal-fire in the whole 
country than this lofty and detached summit. As we 
approached Bethlehem, the reflection from the lime- 



258 



THOUGHTS IN BETHLEHEM. 



stone became very painful to the eyes, the mid-day sun 
exerting its full force. The town was perched upon a 
steep hill before us, up which our horses climbed with 
the facility of cats. The convent was by far the most 
conspicuous building in view, and towards it we di- 
rected our way. Passing the well of Bethlehem (which 
Dr. Robinson found to be only an opening into the 
aqueduct), we soon reached the convent and dismounted. 
We found that the French Consul and a French bishop 
were on a visit, their horses standing before the door. 
This doorway is so low, that one entering has to stoop 
most respectfully. Whether this is so arranged to 
prevent Arab robbers from entrance, or to extort 
homage from the Moslem visiters, is a question. The 
church is a large handsome building, covered by a 
wooden roof, supported by four rows of Corinthian 
columns. Beneath this are all the localities of tradi- 
tion run wild, — the grotto stable where Christ was 
born ! the white marble manger where he was laid ! 
and a silver star marking the place whence the star of 
Bethlehem received its lustre ! Beautiful lamps and 
fine paintings surround these traditionary baubles, that 
profane the most wonderful display of Divine mercy to 
our world. There were numerous other spots of 
monkish legend pointed out, almost equally repulsive. 
The only good we derived from the convent was in 
considering it as the place where Jerome translated 
the Scriptures, and in enjoying the view from its roof 
In this view we needed no tradition to excite our most 
reverential feelings. We looked over the unchanged 
hills and vales, where David had often strayed, a strip- * 
ling keeper of his father's flocks, and a green plain 
below the town reminded us of the shepherds who, 
perhaps on that very plain, had seen the glorious host 
of heaven's messengers, and learned the welcome 



CONVENT OF MAR ELYAS. 



250 



tidings of a Saviour's birth. We followed them, in 
imagination, up the hill to the town, and strove to 
realize their feelings in gazing on the new-born Jesus. 
Hither, too, had come the Eastern Magi, in search of 
the star- told Christ, and here they had exposed their 
offerings to the Lord of Glory. Here, too, had Herod, 
in his rage, caused the blood of the babes of Bethle- 
hem to be outpoured. The thoughts of these events 
received new life upon the site of their transaction. 
The heavens had once rested upon this hill of earth, 
and had left the traces of their visit in the holy and 
joyous reminiscences that clustered in our minds. We 
gazed long and thankfully upon the interesting scenes 
about this hallowed height, afid then descended to pro- 
secute our journey to Jerusalem. On our way to the 
horses, many Bethlehemite Christians brought boxes 
and ornaments of mother-of-pearl to sell : these form 
a large trade in the town, and are carved with some 
skill. Bethlehem and Nazareth, the places of our 
Lord's birth and education, are both of Christian 
population, in the midst of a Mohammedan country, 
so curious has been the order of Providence in esta- 
blishing this coincidence. Leaving Bethlehem, we 
passed down the northern slope of the hill, and shortly 
arrived at Rachel's tomb, a Moslem wely of the usual 
style, in a field to the westward of our path. It is a 
modern structure, but on the traditionary spot of 
Rachel's burial. 

West of the tomb, on the eastern face of a fine hill, 
was Beit- Jala, embosomed in olives. The convent of 
Mar Elyas was before us, placed where the monks say 
the prophet rested on his way to Beersheba, and where 
they pretend to show the mark left by his sleeping 
body in the rock. We gazed anxiously upon its white 
walls, and urged our horses up the hill-side ; but it was 



260 



THE HOLY CITY. 



not the shining convent that gave us energy, and sent 
the thrill of eager expectation through our veins, but 
we knew that from that monastic height the eye might 
rest upon Jerusalem. The intensity of hope rendered 
us speechless, as we hasted along the stony path. Joy 
and awe were alike accumulating in our hearts as we 
neared the summit. The Past and Present were 
equally unheeded, for our whole thoughts were centred 
on the Future prospect. Onward, with increasing 
zeal, we vied in the ascent. The point was gained, 
and the Holy City lay fair and peaceful before our en- 
raptured eyes. Not in the wild forests of the Western 
World, not among the huge wrecks of Egyptian art, 
not on the snow-clad peaks of romantic Switzerland, 
had any scene so riveted our gaze. The drapery of 
Nature in the land of the setting sun was richer far, 
the halls of Karnac had published the highest triumphs 
of the human powers, and Alpine ranges had yielded 
far nobler spectacles of earth's magnificence ; yet here 
were all surpassed, for heaven threw its shechinah 
upon the scene, and clothed the hill of Zion with a 
robe of glory. The sweetest memories hovered, like 
fairest angels, over the towers of Salem. Past, Pre- 
sent, and Future all concentred on the oracle of God. 
There is Zion, the home of the psalmist-monarch; 
there Moriah, the mount of Israel's God ; and yonder, 
green with its appropriate foliage, and graceful as 
a heavenly height, is mild and holy Olivet. They 
rise as beacons to the wearied soul, and all are bathed 
in the radiance of the Cross. The scene was grand ? 
unspeakably. Our overflowing hearts sent forth 
their swollen streams of feeling in vocal rejoicing. 
We looked back upon Bethlehem — there was the 
cradle ; we turned to Calvary — there was the grave. 
Between these two had Heaven and earth been 



ARRIVAL AT JERUSALEM. 



261 



reconciled. We paused awhile to drink deep of 
this first draught, and then spurred on to reach the 
city. As we passed towards the imposing walls, we 
thought how " beautiful for situation was the city of 
the Great King." The road led over the skirts of the 
broad green plain of Rephaim, where the Philistine 
host had encamped against the new-made monarch of 
Israel, and the gathering of whose rich harvests had 
furnished the evangelical prophet with a striking illus- 
tration of the overthrow of the kingdom of Jeroboam.* 
The village of Siloah appeared upon the declivities of 
Olivet, and reminded us of the " waters that went 
softly ."t We were now upon a level with the city 
walls, when the deep ravine or valley of the sons of 
Hinnom intercepted our path. Passing down and 
along this valley eastward and northward, we thought 
of the fires that had here arisen upon Molech's altars, 
where Ahaz and Manasseh had burned their own off- 
spring, and from whose scenes of blood and pollution 
the everlasting abode of the damned had received its 
title. Tradition has placed the scene of the awful 
death of Judas on the side of this appropriate valley. 
Skirting the dry and ruined lower pool of Gihon, which 
is but a dammed portion of the western valley, we 
crossed by the side of the old aqueduct, and ascended 
to the Jaffa Gate. 



* Isaiah xvii. 5. 

18 



f Isaiah viii. 6. 



!f nuaahtn. 



POPULATION JEWS MOSQUES BETHANY S1LOAH GETH- 

SEMANE CHURCH OF ST. JAMES. 

We delivered our quarantine certificates, and in 
another moment were within the Holy City. Here a 
new order of things presented itself — narrow dirty 
lanes and low crumbling houses were the contents of 
the formidable walls. The streets were paved with 
large stones, whose surfaces were as smooth as ice, 
and caused our horses to slip at every step. There 
was no uniformity either in the positions of the streets 
or in their surfaces, except a uniform avoidance of all 
symmetry or comfort. Pursuing a labyrinthine route, 
we at length reached the house of Mr. Meshullam, and 
found neat, clean, and comfortable accommodations 
prepared for our reception. 

It would be folly in me, a passing traveller, to at- 
tempt a minute description of Jerusalem as it is, when 
the works of learned and thorough explorers of its 
condition are to be seen in every library of the civil- 
ized world. A few words upon its principal attractions 
to the Christian traveller are all I offer, ere I continue 
the narrative of our journey northward. 

We spent ten days of soul-stirring enjoyment in the 
metropolis of the Promised Laod, and, with our Bibles 
as constant companions, visited again and again its 
hallowed localities. The blasphemous traditions of 



POPULATION. 



2G3 



the monks, who even show the mark of our Saviour's 
shoulder where he leaned againt the wall, and bare- 
facedly exhibit the spot where the centurion, who 
attended the crucifixion, did penance, we flung to the 
winds ; while the general situation and form of the city, 
its natural features, and the points of undoubted iden- 
tity, claimed our earnest attention. But once did we 
visit the so-styled church of the Holy Sepulchre, and 
were disgusted at its tinsel and the profane mummery 
of the services. The sepulchre was a manifest absur- 
dity, and the other exhibited localities bore the broad- 
est seal of the father of lies. 'Tis all of a piece with 
the Via Dolorosa, Pilate's judgment hall, the pillar to 
which the Saviour was bound, and a hundred other 
such monkish fooleries. 

Jerusalem is now said to contain a population of only 
11,000, and yet certainly does not appear to be very 
thinly inhabited. One of my first causes of surprise was 
the small extent of the city; I walked leisurely the entire 
circuit of the walls in three-quarters of an hour, so 
that the circumference of the city cannot be greatly 
over two miles.* Now, as all sides of Jerusalem but 
the north are bounded by deep ravines, it is only at the 
north the city could have been extended, and here Dr. 
Robinson discovered traces of Agrippa's outermost wall. 
From these facts, and from comparison with modern 
cities, James Fergusson, in his work on the topography 
of Jerusalem, has conclusively shown that the testi- 
mony of Josephus regarding the millions that were in 
the city at the time of the siege, is utterly false. Fer- 
gusson states that under no circumstances could Jeru- 
salem, according to his careful comparison of its size 
with other populous cities, have contained more than 



* Dr. Robinson, by actual measurement, makes it about 2 5-1 1 miles. 



264 



THE WAILING JEWS. 



35,000 or 40,000 inhabitants. The modern traveller 
will naturally find himself an advocate for this opinion. 

The character of the present city is much like that 
of other oriental towns, the houses resembling square 
stone houses, and the streets narrow and filthy. The 
bazaars are miserably stocked, and do not possess the 
first attraction. It is estimated that 5,000 Jews reside 
within the walls. Their men wear a dark blue gown 
and tarbouch, with a turban of varied light blue and 
white, and their women carry a white veil over their 
heads and shoulders. They are principally aged per- 
sons, who have come from various parts of the world 
to lay their bones in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. They 
are the most bigoted of their race, and cling with des- 
perate tenacity round the decaying ruins of their 
ancient city. In the Valley of Jehoshaphat, over 
against the temple-mount, the side of Olivet is almost 
regularly paved with their plain monumental slabs. 
Here thousands have been buried, according to their 
anxious wish, that there they might rise to greet the 
coming Messiah. Every Friday, the Jews assemble 
before the great outer wall of the temple-court, which 
yet remains, and wail their lamentable state. Here we 
found some seated, reading aloud, others rubbing their 
hands along the seams of the huge wall, and then 
kissing their withdrawn palms, and still others kissing 
the stones themselves. Well did the lamentation of 
the wailing prophet become these children of Jacob — 
'j Our necks are under persecution ; we labour and 
have no rest ; we have given the hand to the Egyp- 
tians and Assyrians to be satisfied with bread; our 
fathers have sinned and are not, and we have borne 
their iniquities ; servants have ruled over us ; there is 
none that doth deliver us out of their hand. The joy 
of our heart is ceased ; our dance is turned into 



ANTIQUITIES. 



265 



mourning ; the crown is fallen from our head ; wo unto 
us that we have sinned ! For this our heart is faint ; 
for these our eyes are dim. Turn thou us unto thee, O 
Lord, and we shall be turned ; renew our days as of 
old. But thou hast utterly rejected us ; thou art very 
wroth against us."* 

There are several synagogues in the city, one of 
which we visited, to see Israel worshipping in his own 
home. It was an affecting sight to behold these repre- 
sentatives of that down-trodden and despised people, 
collected from many different parts of the earth, and 
here united in the worship of their fathers' God; 
choosing, rather, to live beneath the oppression of 
Moslem rule, than forsake the land of their kings and 
prophets. Yet it was sadder to think of the cause of 
their sufferings, in the rejection of their Messiah in 
this very city. We looked upon their services with 
the ardent hope that ere long they may worship upon 
the summit of their temple-mount, in unrestrained joy, 
the Redeemer that they crucified. The synagogue 
was composed of four separate rooms, connected with 
one another, in each of which, on a raised floor, was a 
reader of the law, to whose rapid enunciation the con- 
gregation responded. The women sat in screened 
galleries or in the entrance-porch. The rooms were 
of simple adorning, but kept clean and in order. 

The antiquities of Jerusalem, as far as art is con- 
cerned, are very few, so thoroughly have the sins of 
the Jewish nation been visited upon their darling city. 
Parts of the wall of the temple-area, with its attached 
fragment of the Tyropoeon bridge, a few stones of the an- 
cient city walls, a half dozen pools, the supposed tower 
of Hippicus, and the tomb excavations of the vicinity, 



* Lamentations, chap. 5, verse 5, &c. 



266 



THE MOSQUE OF OMAR. 



are nearly all the relics of Judea's capital. The travel- 
ler, therefore, will be disappointed who goes to seek 
in Jerusalem such traces of the past as he has seen in 
Rome or Athens, unless his faith overgrow his sagacity, 
and he follows the guidance of some stupid friar. In 
the latter case, as by enchantment, stirring antiquities 
will greet him on every side ; the fresh masonry of 
yesterday will assume the frown of ages, and every pit 
or hillock of the ground will support a thrilling story. 
As we were obstinate skeptics in all monastic tales, 
it was our delight to seek in Nature's unchanging 
features the clearest memories of " the days of old." 
We loved to linger upon the beautiful sides of 
Olivet, and press the same ground a Saviour trod. 
From that height, sacred in the eyes of every Chris- 
tian, the city lay spread out as a model — the mosque 
of Omar, with its large dome and immense surrounding 
area, appeared conspicuously. This is Moriah, and 
now no Jew or Christian can gain admission to the 
consecrated ground. Within the area, we could see 
the Moslems promenading or lounging by the fountains, 
or about entering the holy edifice with uncovered feet. 
Beyond this vast enclosure, which occupies a quarter 
of the city's area, were the confused houses of the 
town, prominent among them rising the towers of the 
citadel and the new Episcopal church. Between the 
city and our elevated position, was sunken the deep dry 
bed of the Kedron, to which tradition, Jewish, Chris- 
tian, and Moslem, has given the name of the " valley 
of Jehoshaphat," in view of the evidently figurative 
language of the prophet Joel ; and under the influence 
of this delusive hope that here the world shall receive 
its final judgment, the Jews have for ages sought, and 
still seek devoutly, a place of burial in the narrow 
valley. It was from such a position as that, which we 



BETHANY. 



2G7 



often occupied upon the Mount of Olives, that our Sa- 
viour had wept over the blinded, self-destroying city, 
and predicted its present state of degradation. It was, 
moreover, upon the side of this hill that the Saviour 
had uttered his agonizing prayers, after the last supper 
had been eaten with his disciples. To this had come 
the traitor and his murderous band, issuing from the 
silent city, and with gleam of torch descending the 
steep banks, and crossing the Kedron, to bring pollu- 
tion in the peaceful bowers of Gethsemane. Hence 
had gone the Divine Lamb to the slaughter. Another 
scene of startling interest had occurred upon this hill 
of memories. Over its lofty brow, and down its east- 
ern inclination, the rock-worn path leads us to Bethany, 
still called by the name of Lazarus. Here grow the 
olive, apricot, and mulberry, and all the charms of rural 
retirement gather about the spot. A dozen simple 
houses form the hamlet, whither so often the Son of 
God had withdrawn, after a day of teaching in the 
bustling cit}^. Here the two sisters had basked in the 
sunshine of his Divine countenance, and here the stu- 
pendous miracle of their brother's resurrection had 
been performed. The monks have not suffered this 
quiet place to escape the mocking hand of tradition, 
and the house of Lazarus, his sepulchre, and the dwell- 
ing of Simon the leper, are alike shown to the inquir- 
ing traveller. The first is a high ruin, in two parts, 
and the most conspicuous object in the place. The 
sepulchre is entered by a doorway under a hill, close 
to the village. On descending twenty or thirty steps, 
a rock-hewn chamber with niches is reached — this is 
apparently ancient. From this is entered another 
apartment, of arched masonry, which appears of mod- 
ern origin. The highest interest of this rural hamlet 
was derived from the words of the Evangelist — " And 



268 



BETHANY. 



he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up 
his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, 
while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and 
carried up into heaven." Notwithstanding this plain 
testimony of Scripture, the summit of the Mount of 
Olives is confidently shown as the place whence our 
Lord ascended, and even his foot-prints are adduced as 
proof! The simple inhabitants of Bethany gathered 
about us as we pondered upon the events that had there 
been witnessed, but which were probably as unknown 
to these poor peasants as if they had occurred on the 
surface of another planet. After indulging in the re- 
flections that such a place naturally suggested, we 
returned to the city around the southern limb of Olivet, 
entering the valley of Kedron near the tomb of Absalom. 

There are four conspicuous tombs upon the side 
of the valley, and opposite the city wall. They bear 
the names of Absalom, Jehoshaphat, St. James, and 
Zachariah, but with what correctness of application it 
is difficult to decide. Absalom's and Zachariah's are 
very similar. They are both square-based, pointed- 
roofed structures, hewn out of the rock, the former 
being surmounted by mason work where the rock failed 
in height. They are both ornamented with Ionic half- 
columns, but in other details they differ. The other 
two tombs are excavations in the rock ; — Jehoshaphat's 
was so cumbered with rubbish that I could not enter, 
yet from the outside it appeared to be a large cavern. 
The borders of its doorway were richly ornamented. 
That of St. James reminded me of those at Beni Has- 
san on the Nile — its front is supported by two Doric 
columns. It consists of several chambers, some of 
which have holes for the dead. The tomb is situated 
quite high on the cliff, and is apparently inaccessible 
when viewed from the front, but on passing to the side 



SILOA'S BROOK. 



269 



of the tomb of Zachariah, its entrance is seen, being a 
side passage through the rock. 

Leaving these sepulchres and passing southward, we 
find other objects of interest in the valley of the Kedron. 
Beyond the corner of the city wall, we reach a double 
flight of stone steps that lead down to the cavernous 
source of Siloa's brook ; here the pure cold water flows 
so " softly " that the current is barely perceptible. 
Hence it passes through the rock for 1750 feet to the 
" Pool of Siloam." The interesting account of Dr. 
Robinson's persevering exploration of this passage will 
be remembered by every reader of his " Researches." 
Opposite this fountain is the miserable village of 
Siloam, apparently clinging to the cliffs. Beyond this 
we reach the junction of the Tyropceon and the valley 
of the son of Hinnom with the Vale of Kedron. This 
junction forms a broad fertile expanse, where even yet 
are beautiful gardens, and where were of old " the 
king's gardens." They are watered by the stream 
from the Pool of Siloam. This pool is just within the 
Tyropceon. It is of small dimensions, compared with 
the others we had seen, and held about eighteen inches 
of water at the time. There were the remnants of six 
columns on its eastern face, and of two in a line along 
its centre. In the back, or northern end, is a cave, 
into which we entered, and by descending several 
steps inwardly we could feel the water flowing " softly" 
into the pool. We climbed down into the pool itself, 
and washed, remembering that here had one born blind 
received his sight by washing in these waters at the 
command of the son of Mary. Below the gardens is 
a well that bears the names of Job and Nehemiah. 
The well is 125 feet deep, and of excellent water. It 
is covered by a ruinous building of stone, and surround- 
ed by stone troughs. Near by is a small pool, and a 



270 



ACELDAMA. 



building attached. This place is by many supposed to 
be En-Rogel, where Adonijah attempted to make him- 
self king.* Retracing our steps a short distance, we 
enter the deep defile of Hinnom, and skirt the south 
of Zion ; on the left is the steep side of the so-called 
Hill of Evil Counsel, where tradition has placed a 
meeting of the chief priests to take counsel how to put 
Jesus to death. All along its face are excavated tombs 
in the rock, some of them slightly ornamented, and 
among them is the plot of ground supposed to be the 
Aceldama of Judas. A large stone building now exists 
on the spot, the floor of which is on a far lower level 
than the external ground. This is the old charnel 
house of the Christians, but every way resembles a 
huge cistern. After passing the broad base of Zion, 
we turn northward, and find the valley broader and its 
level higher. Here is the great Pool of Gihon, occu- 
pying nearly the whole valley for 600 feet in length. 
This large pool was now dry, and grain was growing on 
its bottom. Beyond the pool, northward, the aqueduct 
crosses the vale. Still further on, we look up to the 
buildings of the citadel and the Jaffa gate. The valley 
(here the Valley of Gihon) now slants westward, 
and by following it beyond the north-west corner of 
the city wall, we reach the upper pool of Gihon, about 
half the size of the lower pool. Between the north- 
west and north-east corners of the city, we see the large 
cavern, in a detached cliff near the Damascus gate, 
which bears the name of the Grotto of Jeremiah, from 
some legend of sandy foundation. Beyond this, east- 
ward, we again strike the steep bank of Kedron. 

I have stated that the walls of Jerusalem never could 
have been of more extensive circuit, except at the 



* 1 Kings i. 9. 



MOSLEM EXCLUSIVENESS. 



271 



north side of the city. There is an exception to this 
remark, for parts of Moriah (Ophel) and Zion at the 
south are now without the walls, which formerly must 
have been enclosed. Yet these excluded portions are 
comparatively small, and would help but little in mag- 
nifying the population of the city. On Ophel are no 
buildings, but on the outer part of Zion is the mosque 
of David, which the Mohammedans declare contains 
the Psalmist's tomb, and where Christians cannot 
enter. Here also is shown, by the still more credulous 
Christians, an arched and columned upper room, where 
our Lord ate the last supper ! and nearer the walls is 
the Armenian convent, said to be the house of 
Caiaphas ! It has a very neat court and chapel, on 
one side of which is a little box-like room, with blue 
tile walls, piously exhibited as the Saviour's prison ! 
Near these buildings are the Armenian, American, 
English, and other cemeteries. The Zion gate leads 
into the city on the summit of this hill, and here, as at 
the Jaffa gate, we were always accosted by a number 
of wretched, loathsome lepers. These poor afflicted 
creatures live apart from the rest of mankind, and, it is 
said, intermarry and raise families of leprous children. 
They form one of the saddest spectacles of human 
misery we have ever witnessed. 

The great mosque of Omar, it is well known, is for- 
bidden ground to the Christian ; and the extensive 
enclosure, or " Haram esh Sherif," which surrounds 
the sacred building, is equally shut against all but the 
true Mussulman. Notwithstanding this law of exclu- 
siveness, many cunning Christians have penetrated 
within the holy precincts, and satisfied themselves and 
the world that the mysterious secrecy concealed no 
equivalent wonder. Drawings have even been taken 
of the interior of the mosque and its fellow-structure, 



272 



HATRED TO CHRISTIANS. 



El-Aksa, while the deluded Moslems of Jerusalem 
suppose they are preserving most secret the contents 
of the sacred edifice. Of course all these Christian 
visits have been performed in disguise, for the known 
intruder would lose his life in the attempt. The archi- 
tecture of the mosque has led Mr. Fergusson to con- 
sider it an originally Christian edifice, and hence he 
has broached the startling theory of its being the 
church of Constantine, over the Holy Sepulchre. He 
has adduced many plausible arguments for this novel 
doctrine, which certainly seems quite as capable of 
proof as the theory of the existence of the sepulchre at 
its monkish site. The only near views we could obtain 
of the mosque and its area were from the centre of an 
arched passage leading into it from the Via Dolorosa, 
and from the roof of the barracks, formerly the 
governor's house. This last point is at the north of 
the Haram, and overlooks the whole. From here 
Catherwood made the drawings for his celebrated 
panorama. A fine distant view of the Haram is had 
from the Mount of Olives, as before noticed. On one 
occasion I was attempting to make the shortest way 
from the Jaffa gate to that of St. Stephen, and on 
my passage was suddenly brought to a complete halt 
by the interposition of several threatening Mussul- 
mans, who most unmistakeably desired a retrograde 
movement on my part. I at once saw my error. I 
was upon the verge of the consecrated soil, and these 
were its faithful guardians. I turned and sought another 
road to the gate, while the true believers who had 
saved the holy place from pollution greeted my retreat 
with boisterous laughter. At another time, in merely 
passing along the Via Dolorosa, opposite an archway 
that opened to the Haram, I was saluted by a shower 
of stones from some juvenile defenders of the faith, 



G ETHSEM A N E. . 



273 



who were evidently encouraged in their valorous piety 
by some older heads beside them. The spirit of " the 
Koran or the sword" is still existing, and only re- 
strained from its old method of action by fear of con- 
sequences. However, the same spirit may be found 
without going to Islam ; it is co-extensive with sin. 

Gethsemane is pointed out by the monks at the foot 
of Olivet, where eight extremely aged olive trees are 
enclosed by a lofty white wall of 120 feet in extent on 
each side. This wall had been lately erected to pre- 
vent relic-seeking pilgrims from destroying the trees 
by breaking off fragments of bark or twigs as memen- 
tos of their pilgrimage. The wall has injured the 
beauty of the spot, and its division into vegetable 
patches has assisted to complete its profanation. On 
one of our visits to this enclosure, (admittance to 
which is gained by a little low door in one corner,) we 
found an odd visiter before us. Halil EfFendi, a Turk- 
ish nabob, was sitting under the trees, talking gayly 
with the monks, evidently considering himself as good 
a Christian as the best of them. Although the monk- 
ish site of Gethsemane is of douthful truth, yet it was 
repugnant to our feelings to see the apparent levity of 
these visiters in a spot which some of them, at least, 
believed to be the scene of our Saviour's agony. But 
we had before learned the fact that the presence of the 
sites of the holiest events have no power in themselves 
to soften the heart, and we had seen those who pro- 
fessed to be peculiarly servants of the Most High, in ap- 
parently the most perfect thoughtlessness upon the spot 
where the most solemn memories should have filled 
their minds. 

Once, in ascending the Mount of Olives, we no- 
ticed our guide, as we passed through the corn fields, 
" pluck the ears of corn and eat, rubbing them in his 



274 



CHURCH INTERIOR. 



hands,"* vividly recalling the event in our Saviour's life 
that gave rise to the Pharisaical accusation of his pro- 
fanation of the Sabbath. The summit of Olivet is now 
crowned by a mosque and filthy village, from which 
the Dead Sea was plainly visible, and to the north-west 
the mosque-crowned height of Neby Samwil was con- 
spicuous. The Mount of Olives may include the sum- 
mit upon the north and south, which are really parts 
of the same hill, and which altogether form the most 
graceful height I have ever seen. In gently rounded 
form, and in its colour of mingled green and white, it 
is unsurpassed. 

One of the prettiest churches in Jerusalem is that of 
St. James, attached to the Arminian convent. A fine 
court lies before the entrance, which is, however, 
sorrily ornamented by some attempts in the fine arts. 
One picture of " Elijah ascending," with horses of 
eccentric breed, acts as a curious solemnizer of the 
feelings on entering a sanctuary. The general effect 
of the interior is very pleasant. A blue tile wainscot 
surrounds the church — the pulpit and canopy as well 
as the side-doors are of very fine work in tortoise-shell 
and mother-of-pearl ; the floor exhibits some rich 
mosaic ; here and there is spread a beautiful carpet, 
and some meritorious paintings adorn the walls. 
Though there is much of the usual oriental tinsel, yet 
it seems not to detract from the general effect of the 
church. There are a lightness and purity in the white 
roof and domes, that contrast well with the ornaments 
below. 

During our stay at Jerusalem we experienced every 
kindness at the hands of Mr. Finn, the British Consul, 
Bishop Gobat, and Mr. Nicolayson, with their families, 



* Luke vi. I. 



ENGLISH CHURCH. 



275 



whose attentions are a subject of grateful recollection 
to every one who has lately visited the Holy City. 
Nor can we forget the obliging efforts of our host, Mr. 
Meshullam, in affording us all the assistance of his 
experience to increase the pleasure and profit of our 
sojourn. 

The English church is a beautiful edifice, presenting 
more architectural elegance than any building in the 
city. It stands upon the northern portion of Zion, 
and, as the first Protestant church edifice in Jerusalem, 
seems to betoken the fulfilment of the prophecy, " The 
Redeemer shall come to Zion."* 



* Isaiah, lix. 20. 



Siitatr— Swjamitt— (Bpjrraim. 



MAR SABA DEAD SEA THE JORDAN JERICHO-— START FOR THE 

NORTH BETHEL SHE C HEM JACOB'S WELL JOSEPH'S TOMB. 

On the 21st of May, we left Jerusalem on an excur- 
sion to the Dead Sea. Mohammed, a Bedawee Sheikh, 
acted as our guide, and at 2, P. M., our cavalcade 
issued from the Jaffa gate. Our path was rough, nar- 
row, rocky, and winding along the hill-sides that 
border the Kedron. We were to spend the night at 
the Greek convent of Mar Saba, which is situated 
upon the sides of the Kedron, about nine miles below 
Jerusalem. For that distance, the Kedron is a deep- 
sunk, steep-sided ravine, and, near the convent, is re- 
markably wild and romantic. On our way, several 
fierce-visaged Arabs made their appearance in our 
path, and I involuntarily remembered him that fell 
among thieves in the neighbourhood. I was greatly 
relieved to discover that these new arrivals were our 
escort, who had been ordered to meet us at this point. 
A poor young German accompanied us on foot. Pen- 
niless, and almost garmentless, this youth had wandered 
as a pilgrim from his home in the fatherland to the 
distant scenes of the events of the Saviour's life. He 
had been robbed of some pittance by the Arabs, but 
yet had persevered in visiting the Holy Sepulchre and 



MAR SABA. 



277 



all the other traditionary points of interest in Jerusa- 
lem. He had been at Nazareth and Bethlehem, and 
now told us that the priests had instructed him to 
bathe in Jordan, and then he should be absolved from 
all his sins. The poor fellow, in this wretched hope, 
had now set out to walk to the sacred river, in his for- 
lorn plight, and under a burning sun. 

As we rode along the summits of the cliffs that 
bound the Kedron defile near Mar Saba, we saw many 
animals, like the hedge-hog, scampering among the 
rocky ledges. This creature was, undoubtedly, the 
shaphan (translated " coney") of Scripture,* that 
makes its house in the rocks. This animal is the 
Daman of the Syrians, the Nabr of the Arabians, and 
the Ashkoko of the Abyssinians. We reached Mar 
Saba before five P. M. The convent is a curiosity of 
architecture, appearing to hang from the cliffs. Its 
walls and towers give it the air of a fortress. One of 
its towers is without the walls, and in this all lady- 
travellers are obliged to find shelter when they are 
overtaken by night at this point, the misogynist rules 
of the convent forbidding any female to cross its 
threshold. We wound along the walls and down a 
steep path to the little door. Here we were forced to 
wait until we had sent our letter of introduction (ob- 
tained from the Greek convent in Jerusalem) up in a 
window in the wall. After this application had been 
duly digested by the brethren, we were directed to 
descend the cliff* to a lower door. This we soon did, 
and, entering, passed down a flight of stone stairs into 
this most wonderful of convents. Passing the church 
and other buildings, and glancing at the wee garden 
among these rocks, we found a detatched room, spread 
with divans, which was given up to our possession. 



* Proverbs xxx. 26, &c. 

19 



278 



THE CURIOUS CONVENT. 



We seated ourselves, and were soon visited by a ven- 
erable monk, who offered us araki and raisins, and 
then some refreshing coffee. Mounting the roof of our 
little room, we obtained a realizing sense of our odd 
position. We were on a mere ledge of the rock : 
directly opposite our door rose the precipitous cliff, 
full of hawks' nests, whose occupants were soaring 
over our heads. In this cliff, the monks had scooped 
out snug cells, and, by closing their fronts with 
mason-work, had formed most comfortable lodgings. 
Along the many ledges of the cliffs, various buildings 
and cells composed the tout ensemble of the convent. 
There was the church with its dome and huge but- 
tresses, the little domed chapel of Saint Saba, and the 
little garden patch, a caricature of horticulture, where 
the gardener monk was playing his part admirably. 
The fortress walls of the convent climbed up the cliffs 
in the most impossible manner, and were increased in 
height by layers of loose stones, forming a parapet 
that a high wind might easily lay low. The whole 
convent resembled a gigantic set of book-shelves. 
With the company of a few monks, we visited the 
church — a poor affair, filled with wretched daubs of a 
long array of unheard-of saints, and boasting a tin- 
selled pulpit and gaudily decorated screen, whose back 
was most pitiably deficient in ornament, and evidently 
not intended for the visiter's eyes. A frightful picture 
of the Last Judgment added to the interest of the 
interior, and under the front porch were several paint- 
ings of equal distinction, one a fearful representation 
of the massacre of 14,000 holy brethren by the Sara- 
cens in the twelfth century. The Saracens were per- 
forming the job with provoking coolness, and the friars' 
heads appeared perfectly good-natured even after sepa- 
ration from the bodies. The pavement between the 



THE MONKS. 



279 



church and the chapel of Mar Saba covers the vault 
for the dead. The chapel is ornamented in like style 
with the church, but is of so diminutive capacity, that 
three or four worshipers would form a full house, — an 
excellent size for the chapel of an unpopular preacher. 
Here the Saint Saba is buried, but whether this per- 
sonage was a he or a she, where the same lived and 
when, are all questions that our heathen understand- 
ings could not answer. The monks looked the very 
ideal of laziness. They lounged in some quiet corner, 
or else slowly moved over their circumscribed prome- 
nades in more than oriental sluggishness. They were 
of far better appearance, however, than our quondam 
hosts of Mount Sinai, and treated us with most polite 
attention. 

We spent a very comfortable night on the divans, and 
at 6 J o'clock in the morning, we left the brethren and 
their grotesque home. One of the friars, a fine looking 
old man, of skin wondrously fair, accompanied us. He 
had never seen the Jordan, and embraced this opportu- 
nity of a visit. We retraced our road for ten minutes, 
till we reached the end of the precipice, and then struck 
north-easterly towards the north shore of the Dead Sea, 
up and down and around hills utterly devoid of vegeta- 
tion, — the dreary waste of the Judean desert. 

Our first view of the Dead Sea (which the Arabs 
know as " the Sea of Lot ") reminded us of the Hud- 
son, its naked cliffs not being distinguishable in the 
hazy distance from green banks. As we approached 
the Pass of Kuneiterah (which leads from the high 
country of Judah to the Jordan valley), we caught 
sight of the minaret of the mosque of Neby Mousa, 
upon a height to our left. We found the pass 
steep, long, and tedious, and reached the sea-side at 
11^ A. M., four and three quarter hours from Mar 
Saba. There was stretched out the long quiet sea 



280 



THE DEAD SEA. 



between lofty cliffs, not a ripple upon its surface, and 
not a sound of man or beast audible, — verily it was 
the " Dead Sea." Yet we were surprised to see vege- 
tation on the very brink of the sulphurous sea, and 
even in the water itself. A great quantity of drift 
wood lined the shore, telling plainly of large trees 
upon its borders somewhere. The plain north of the 
sea, on which we stood, was covered with a saline 
incrustation, and the herbs were thickly coated with 
the same. A small peninsula jutted out into the sea, 
connected with the main shore by a very narrow neck. 
We passed out to its extreme end, in order to bathe, 
and were impressed with the belief that this was ori- 
ginally a T shaped wharf. It is highly probable that 
a town or settlement was placed at the head of this 
sea, as the port of Jericho and Beth-Hogla, by means 
of which port a commerce might have been carried 
on with Moab and Idumea. Keziz (mentioned in 
Joshua xviii. 21) seems to have been here situated, as 
we should judge from its name, which appears to sig- 
nify " the end " (i. e. of the sea), and this wharf may 
be the relic of that port, or its successors, on the same 
site. Dr. Robinson passed too far from the border of 
the sea at this point to perceive this peninsular projec- 
tion, and Lieut. Lynch thus notices the matter : 

" At 6 25, P. M., passed a gravelly point, with many 
large stones upon it. It is a peninsula, connected 
with the main by a low, narrow isthmus. When the 
latter is overflowed, the peninsula must present the 
appearance of an island, and is doubtless the one to 
which Stephens, Warburton, and Dr. Wilson allude." 

Our Arabs attempted to dissuade us from bathing, 
supposing us ignorant of the sea's peculiar qualities ; 
but we nevertheless obtained the desired experimental 
proof of the reported characteristics of this strange ex- 
panse. The buoyancy of the water was as wondeVful 



THE JORDAN. 



28J 



as we had anticipated. We threw ourselves on our 
backs, and lay as easily as on a sofa, our bodies utter- 
ly refusing to sink. From the very great specific 
gravity of the water, swimming was no easy matter, 
our extremities being thrown out of the water at every 
effort. Wherever the skin of our bodies was scratched 
the sting of the water was very great. Its taste was 
burning to the tongue, like caustic* The stinging- 
sensation continued a half hour after we had left the 
sea, and our bodies were slightly encrusted with salt. 
From the sea we started for the Jordan opposite Ain 
Hajla. It was a fearfully hot ride of an hour and a 
quarter, under a noonday sun in this northern Arabah. 
The ground appeared like ashes, and the horses' feet 
constantly sank in deeply. We descended two terraces 
before reaching the immediate banks of the river ; 
these terraces were well stocked with bushes, but the 
very banks of the river were lined with fine forest trees, 
below which the stream- ran dark and rapid towards 
the Sea of Sodom. The terraces of the Jordan were 
distinctly marked at the point where we visited the 
ri^er, and almost wear the appearance of artificial for- 
mation. 




The current was more rapid than that of any river we 
had ever before seen. Its course was winding, and 
both banks were girt with the loveliest foliage. We 
were amazed at the river's beauty, for we had formed 
a far different idea of its appearance on our approach 

* We brought home a stone jug of the water, and on opening it, eight months 
after taking it from the sea, the caustic taste had disappeared, and its buoyancy 
seemed to have been reduced. 



L 



282 



THE CULTIVATED PLAIN. 



over the hot ashy plain. We bathed by holding to the 
drooping branches, but several of the Arabs struck bold- 
ly across, reaching the opposite side far below, though 
the breadth of the stream was very inconsiderable. 

After a bath, a luncheon, and a rest, we mount- 
ed the terraces, and struck westward to Ain Hajla, 
about two miles from the river, in the plain. It is a 
fine, clear, well enclosed fountain, in the midst of a 
jungle caused by its existence. Beyond, to the south- 
west, was the ruin of the convent of St. Gerasimus, 
called by the Arabs " Kusr Hajla." These names show 
the site of the scriptural " Bethhogla." On our right, 
near the Jordan, the ruined convent of St. John, i4 the 
Kusr el Yehud" of the Arabs, was visible. Before us, 
to the north-west, rose the Castle of Jericho, a dilapi- 
dated modern tower, and to this we directed our way, 
for we were to encamp near the tower for the night. 
The plain was here cultivated, and trees of various 
kinds grew plentifully. We encamped near a running 
stream, beneath a grove of figs, a situation surpassingly 
delightful. * After shooting a few of the multitude of 
wild pigeons that surrounded us, and after eating such 
a dinner as Jericho might be expected to furnish, we 
walked to the field of ruins that lay a mile westward. 
In so doing, we followed up the pretty streamlet among 
luxuriant groves, and found the ground strewed with 
stones, such as we had seen at Milh. Turning north- 
ward, we passed by fertile fields, where men were 
harvesting the wheat, to Ain es-Sultan. This is the 
copious source of water that fills the plain with its fer- 
tility. It is enclosed by stone embankments, from 
which the water rushes impetuously through a stone- 
lined opening. There are the ruins of aqueducts and 
mills in the vicinity, and an immense amount of scat- 
tered and undistinguishable remains. A mile westward 



AIN ES-SULTAN. 



283 



rises the gaunt cliffs of Quarantana, on whose summit 
appeared a building, and whose sides were full of 
grottoes, where the hermits of a former age had spent 
their lives, fondly imagining they were upon the moun- 
tain of our Lord's temptation. Between us and the 
mountain were several Saracen ruins. 

The whole region near Ain es-Sultan was charming. 
The full-flowing streams, the waving grain, the busy 
reapers, the picturesque ruins of the Saracen edifices, 
the luxuriant groves, and the sombre mountain-wall 
beyond, composed an array of scenery of uncommon 
interest. The fountain is naturally supposed to be the 
same whose waters Elisha healed,* and from our ex- 
perience we can testify to the permanency of the cure. 
Near the fountain we found a sculptured stone, the only 
one that we could discover on the plain. It was upon 
the side of a high mound, that seemed formed of 
accumulated rubbish. We looked anxiously to find 
one relic of the palm trees which had given a name to 
Jericho, and found but one, and that a dead and 
scorched stump — the mutilated fragment of the last of 
the palm trees. Here we were upon the remarkable 
site where the walls of Jericho had fallen before the 
trumpets of Israel, and here had Israel's leader de- 
nounced a fearful curse on him who afterwards should 
build the ruined city. Yet Hiel, the Bethelite, had 
dared the curse, and felt its anguish in his bosom. 
Ages after, the second Joshua passed through this 
fruitful region, and Bartimeus and Zaccheus bore wit- 
ness to his glory. 

We spent the night under our tent, closely inspected 
by straggling fellahin, from the dirty village of Eriha, 
that surrounds the tower ; and the next morning we 



* 2 Kings ii. 22. 



284 



SCENE OF THE PARABLE. 



started for Jerusalem. We struck westward to the 
mountains, passing the ruins of an aqueduct on our 
left. The way was extremely hot, through an inclined 
defile of the range. As we mounted the sides of the 
great valley, we saw a large square trench cut beneath 
I us in the plain, of whose purpose and history we were 
utterly ignorant. If we had noticed it earlier, we 
should have examined it closely. The road was lonely 
and dreary, and well adapted to the story of the good 
Samaritan. We thought of the poor traveller's ex- 
perience, as given in that parable, and had, moreover, 
the testimony of succeeding ages as to the danger of 
this route. It was not strange, then, that we viewed a 
mounted Bedouin with peculiar sensations of shyness, 
and were particularly sensitive in turning abrupt cor- 
ners. Half-way between Jericho and Jerusalem are 
the ruins of two buildings, one on top of the right- 
hand hill, and one close to the road in the valley. 
They bear the name of Khan Hudrur, and are ruined 
inns, just where we may imagine the Samaritan de- 
posited his wounded charge. The coincidence was 
pleasing, and seemed vividly to illustrate the parable. 

A Bedouin Sheikh joined us as we passed on, and 
invited us to his encampment, presenting us with some 
saffron as a token of amity. We shortly came up to 
his black tents, but were too hurried to accept his 
hospitality. We passed through Bethany, and reached 
Jerusalem in 4 J hours from Eriha, having put our 
horses to the run for much of the way. 

We had appointed the 28th of May as the day 
of our departure from Jerusalem, intending to pass 
through the entire length of Palestine to the Sea of 
Galilee and Damascus, and thence to Beyroot. On 
the evening before our intended start, my fever and 
ague again recurred ; but, by a due quantity of quinine, 



THE MUGGRIES. 



285 



I removed that obstacle, only, however, to find another 
in the trickery and impudence of our Muggries (or 
horse-keepers). All Jerusalem seemed to be filled 
with bad horses and broken contracts, and all the 
morning I was acting the ferry-boat between the 
British Consulate and our lodgings, ready to faint 
with the weakness left by my nocturnal shaking in the 
ague. We found, to our entire satisfaction, that a 
desert Bedawee is a nobleman when compared with a 
Syrian Muggry, and fairly sighed to have a Besharah 
or a Hossein to deal with for our tour in Palestine. 
After scenes of altercation, that completely beggar 
description, and such as, probably, couldn't happen 
out of Syria, we at length left at 1 \ P. M., our truly 
kind host accompanying us without the Damascus 
gate. Our cavalcade consisted of twenty beasts, a 
patch-work of horses, donkeys, and mules. The hu- 
man beings were only twelve, — four travellers, four 
servants, and four Muggries, — the surplus of quadru- 
peds carrying our inanimate household. Leaving the 
Damascus gate, we soon passed the so-called Tombs 
of the Kings, and crossed the bed of the Kedron. Un- 
der the olive groves that skirt the city at the north 
were gathered crowds of men, women, and children, 
amusing themselves in the grateful shade. Many were 
swinging on ropes suspended from the large branches, 
the children were gambolling with all the careless joy 
of childhood, and happiness seemed to be marked on 
every countenance. We passed reluctantly from this 
delightful scene, and were soon on the high plain of 
Scopus, whence Titus made his first approach upon 
the doomed city. Here we obtained one of the finest 
views of its hills and dwellings, and took our latest 
look at the memorable spot. 

The lofty height of Neby Samwil rose upon our 



286 



THE LAND OF BENJAMIN. 



left, — a beacon for a vast extent of country. Beyond, 
we caught sight of the beautiful lands about Gibeon, 
(El-Jib,) and then passed, on a fine hill-summit to the 
right, the Ramah of Benjamin (Er-Ram). Near this, 
the walls and arches of a ruined Khan formed an ap- 
propriate monument for the whole country, where no 
provision is made for the stranger as he passes on his 
journey ; and I fear the lack of hospitality that marked 
this very district, when a certain Levite of Mt. Ephraim 
sought rest in the neighbouring town of Gibeah, might 
now be experienced by the modern traveller. 

Still further north, we reached the ruins of Ataroth 
(Atara) on a hill-side. A long wall, pierced by an 
arched doorway, was principally conspicuous. The 
next point of interest was a fountain, surmounted by a 
Mohammedan place of worship. This was one of the 
Beers, or wells, which gave name to the neighbouring 
town of Beeroth (Wells.) The village, on the ancient 
site, lay a short distance off the road, and thither our 
Muggries wished to go and pass the night, but we ex- 
ercised our authority effectually in continuing our 
course. Shortly after leaving Beeroth, our way lay 
through a ravine, in whose side was a noble cavern 
whose roof was supported by pillars of rock, and from 
which a stream of water was flowing. The guides 
called it " Ain El Iksa." A little beyond was another 
fountain, Ain El Akabah, where our horses drank from 
a small pool, and our men from a small cup-like cavity 
in the rock. These running streams were such delight- 
ful companions by the way, and our route was in this 
respect so different from the arid desert to which we 
had lately been confined, that we magnified Palestine 
to the highest place in the ranks of earthly countries. 
We reached Bethel (Beitin) at six in the evening. It 
is situated, as most Syrian towns, upon a hill, and bears 



THE BETHELITES. 



287 



extensive marks of its former town. Broken walls and 
foundations are seen all over the hill-top, and in the 
valley on the S. W. is a large empty pool, resembling 
those near Bethlehem, and those of Gihon. To the 
S. E., on a high hill, the ruins of a church stood, re- 
lieved by the sky, probably on the spot where Abra- 
ham pitched his tent in the land of his new possession.* 
Bethel itself is rendered famous in the eye of all Chris- 
tendom, for the vision that here Jacob saw ; and from 
his exclamation of surprise at the astounding sight is 
derived the name, not only of this spot, but of a myriad 
edifices scattered throughout the world, whose walls 
are hallowed by the exhibitions of a love Divine. It 
was, no doubt, with special reference to the pillar 
which he erected here, that Paul used this language to 
Timothy — " That thou may est know how thou ought- 
est to behave thyself in the house of God (Bethel), 
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and 
ground of the truth."f It was this holy vision that 
rendered Bethel famous, but it was Jeroboam's unholy 
division that rendered it mfamous, for here his golden 
calf separated Israel from their worship at Jerusalem, 
and plunged the country into an abyss of ruin. Hiel, 
the rebuilder of Jericho, and unenviable recipient of the 
curse, was an inhabitant of this town, and was proba- 
bly a fair specimen of the calf-worshippers. 

The poor Bethelites collected around us as we en- 
camped among their huts, as ignorant of us and our 
business as they were of the thrilling history of their 
town. They looked morosely on us as on intruders, 
but seemed to yield up their acerbity when they found 
us ready-money purchasers of their fowls and milk. 
The road from Jerusalem had been a stony mountain 
mule-path, winding among the hills of Benjamin. The 

* Gen. xii. 8. f 1 Tim. iii. 15. 



288 



THE WAY TO SHECHEM. 



country was sparsely cultivated, but appeared capable, 
under good management, of yielding its ancient plenty. 
The hills were all terraced, either naturally or artifi- 
cially, and girt by narrow vales, an open plain being a 
thing unseen. We had crossed Benjamin completely 
(for Bethel was a frontier city, sometimes appertaining 
to Benjamin and sometimes to Ephraim,) in four hours 
and a half, its width thus being about twelve miles, for 
our rate of travel was only three miles per hour, and 
our course not direct to Bethel. 

The second morning we did not leave our place 
of encampment until nearly eight o'clock, our Mug- 
gries having spent more than two hours in loading. 
No coaxing or threatening had the slightest effect 
on these independent Syrians. To an obstinacy of 
no common sort they added an impudence unpar- 
alleled, so that a Syrian Muggry became at length in 
our minds the personification of those two easy quali- 
ties. In an hour northward from Bethel, we saw 
Yebrud, upon a hill. Further from the path lay Jufna 
and Ain Sinia. North of Yebrud stood Selwad, on 
the top of a high hill. We now descended a steep 
path into the ravine of Mezra, among noble vines and 
fig trees, Jibia standing upon a hill-top on our left. 
Notwithstanding the fertile beauty of this ravine, it was 
insufferably hot, the hills shutting it in so closely as to 
puzzle ^Eolus to effect an entrance in his most violent 
moods. Another ravine cut this at right angles, and 
here the figs gave way for olives, which grew luxuri- 
antly in their retirement. Ascending hence by a third 
ravine, we passed a ruined fortress, said to have been 
formerly the head-quarters of banditti, near which was 
a cavern, that had doubtless been used by those gentry* 
We met some suspicious looking Arabs with guns hard 
by the ruined stronghold, admirable assistants in this 
blood-and-murder picture. 



THE WAY TO SHECHEM. 



28 9 



We continued for an hour with the sun's rays pow- 
erfully reflected upon us from the white rocks, when we 
reached a small and fertile plain, in the centre of which 
we saw upon our right Turmus Aya, well placed on a 
hillock, and shortly after upon our left looked back 
upon Sinjil, clinging to the rocks. Crossing the plain, 
that waved with grain, we saw, on a high elevation 
before us, the domed mosque of Abu el Auf. By the 
side of this we had a high pass to cross, reminding us 
of some of the Nukbs of the desert. The ascent was 
steep, and lay along the edge of a deep and pretty 
vale ; but the descent was excessively steep and rocky, 
bringing us into the lovely Vale of Lubban, a small 
plain of grain and olives, hedged by beautiful and lofty 
hills. A ruined Khan lay at the foot of the pass, where 
was a copious supply of water. In and around the 
ruin were an immense number of black goats. On the 
hill-side, to the north-west of this little bowl of a valley, 
was Lebonah,* a small village, where the goat-herds 
dwelt. Passing diagonally over this peaceful plain, we 
turned down a side valley eastward, and on finding a 
goodly shade of olives, sat down and refreshed our- 
selves with food and rest. After leaving this, we 
crossed a large wady, and ascended the hill ridge upon 
its northern side. From the summit a noble prospect 
greeted us. The fine plain of Mukhna was at our feet, 
about two miles in width, and extending northward 
some six miles to the bases of Ebal and Gerizim. The 
reapers were in numbers at work among the yellow 
grain, and oxen were treading out the corn upon the 
threshing-floors. This strikingly brought to our minds 
the story of Boaz and Ruth, so fragrant with simple 
loveliness. The scene was one of those in which the 



Judges xxi. 19. 



290 



NABLOUS, OR SHECHEM. 



soul is fully satisfied ; all our thoughts of the pastoral 
and agricultural that had rendered their pleasing hue 
to our ideas of oriental life, were here fully realized, 
and we needed no imagination to create the rural 
scenes of Scripture history. Nablous, (the ancient 
Shechem,) where we intended to lodge, was hidden 
from view by the mountains that skirted the plain upon 
the west ; yet Ebal and Gerizim were both evident 
before us, between whose bases were concealed in its 
valley this ancient town. 

Descending into the plain, we followed the track 
under the western hills, passing around their sev- 
eral projections. The large village of Howara 
seemed to have sent forth its whole population into 
the fields, and all the employments of agriculture 
were in full operation. We wound along the skirts 
of Gerizim by a path deeply worn in the lime- 
stone, at some elevation above the plain. Near the 
corner of the mountain, where the Vale of Nablous 
comes down to meet the plain, we left our horses and 
made our way down the steep declivities to the most 
interesting object of this vicinity — Jacob's well. It is 
in the plain, just at the extremity of the Vale of Na- 
blous, and every way accords with the details of the 
Scripture narrative. The plain, over which we had 
come, I have no doubt, is " the plain of Moreh," near 
Sichem, to which Abraham came on his way to 
Bethel.* The well is only mentioned in the Gospel of 
St. John, and from its title of " Jacob's well," was 
probably dug by that patriarch, before the conduct of 
Simeon and Levi forced him to leave this part of the 
land. We were at first shown a small opening in the 
ground, nearly closed by three large stones overlapping 
its edge. This so little harmonized with our precon- 



* Genesis xii. 6. 



JACOB'S WELL. 291 

ceived ideas of the spot, that we doubted greatly the 
correctness of our information, and were not satisfied 
until, the next morning, we made a more complete ex- 
amination. We then removed the stones with some 
effort, and descended through the hole, which was just 
large enough to admit our bodies, and which would be 
utterly impenetrable to a corpulent man. Before re- 
leasing our hold of the edge of the hole, our feet rested 
on an accumulation of rubbish beneath. Groping our 
way down this, we found ourselves in a small chamber, 
which had once, doubtless, been on a level with the 
ground, but which the accumulated soil of centuries 
had now rendered subterranean. In this apartment 
was the hole of the well proper, down which we cast 
pebbles, and so discovered the entire absence of water. 
Indeed, our Christian host at Nablous declared it had 
been dry to his knowledge for the last fifty years. 
Around the upper entrance-hole were the ruined relics 
of Helena's church visible. The well bore indisputa- 
ble marks of its great antiquity, and is safely identified 
with that whereon the wearied Saviour sat in the heat 
of noon, and where, in asking drink from the woman 
who had come to draw, he took occasion to teach her 
concerning the value of the water of life. How beau- 
tiful the lesson to us ! This water of Jacob's well has 
passed away, but still the living water of a grace 
divine runs copiously within our reach. In walking 
up to the town, which lies a mile removed to the west- 
ward, we made a short detour to visit the so-called tomb 
of Joseph, which is not far distant from the well. It is 
a plain white Santon's tomb, or Wely, such as is every- 
where seen in Mohammedan countries, excepting that 
this one is roofless, and, consequently, lacks the usual 
white dome. In the interior, a vine grows from a corner, 
and spreads upon a trellis over the tomb, forming a 



292 



JOSEPH'S TOMB. 



pleasant bower. The branches climb over the walls, 
and illustrate beautifully the blessing which Joseph 
received from his dying father — " Joseph is a fruitful 
bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches 
run over the wall."* 



Gen. xlix. 22. 



bflinnii unit dNltln. 



SCHECHEM— SAMARIA— JENIN - ESDRAELON - NAZARETH - SEA OF 
TIBERIAS— TIBERIAS— CAPERNAUM— CANA- 

From Joseph's tomb we struck up the vale of 
Nablous, passed the ruins of a village called Betal, to 
a fine flowing fountain, where our horses were in wait- 
ing. Remounting, we rode through a lovely olive 
grove, between the high sides of Ebal and Gerizim, 
until we suddenly came upon the town when at its very 
gates. We passed nearly through the whole length of 
Nablous, bazaars and all, with a hundred children 
hooting after us, and casting stones at the " Christian 
dogs," and then reached the house of a Greek Chris- 
tian, who was known to entertain travellers. It was 
a sorry looking abode ; but the old landlord was the 
very picture of kindness, and we ventured. We had 
two upper rooms lightened of their loads of dust 
and rubbish for our possession, while our servants 
bivouacked in a little court below. But no cleaning 
could keep out the plagues of vermin, and we under- 
went a torture all night such as might have been ex- 
pected from Mohammedan fleas. However, we had 
enjoyed a day of delightful travel through a portion of 
the country of peculiar interest, and were now willing 
to suffer some annoyance. The flowers upon the way 
were plentiful. Anemones, convolvoli, and hollyhocks 
20 



294 



SHECHEM. 



were conspicuous, and dotted the land with beauty. 
The red earth, over which we had travelled a part of 
the day, reminded us of the soil of northern Jersey, and 
brought up sighful thoughts of our distant home. 
Nablous is first heard of as Shechem, and plays a 
prominent part, under this name, in the Old Testament 
history. In the New Testament we hear of it as Sy- 
char, a probable corruption of name by the Samari- 
tans. In Roman days, and after the apostolic period, 
it took the name of Neapolis, the Latins always af- 
fecting Greek appellations. This Neapolis is still 
seen in the Arabic Nablous. The town is beautifully 
situated in the midst of gardens, between Ebal and 
Gerizim, and almost entirely fills up the width of the 
vale, a narrow passage only being left on the north, 
between Ebal and the city. Both of these mountains 
are sterile, though Ebal appears somewhat the most 
suitable for the mount of curses. We stood upon the 
flat roof of our house, and brought in review before 
our minds the scene of that day, when the ark of God 
was placed in the midst of the vale, by the stone altar 
of Jehovah, and all Israel appeared before it, the half 
upon the slope of either mountain, to speak the solemn 
blessings and cursings that should thereafter attend 
upon the obedience or rebellion of the nation. The 
curses of Ebal are yet sounding through the polluted 
land, and all the earth has caught the mournful echoes. 
While enjoying the evening breeze on the house-top, 
I unexpectedly surprised a numerous harem upon a 
retired terrace near my position. The females were 
indulging in a most unoriental freedom from reserve 
both in dress and manner, and were put to instant con- 
fusion at sight of the Christian intruder. There was a 
sudden seizure of veils and garments ; but in one of 
the fair assemblage there was far more spite than 



OLD MANUSCRIPT. 



295 



modesty, for she spent the time wherein the others 
sought a hiding-place, in twisting her countenance 
into indescribable contortions, and cattishly ejecting 
saliva towards me. Finding the flat house-top thus 
exposing and exposed, I took a last look at the beauti- 
ful town and its green suburbs nestling in the vale, 
and descended to talk with our old host. Several of 
his acquaintances came to pay their respects to us, all 
of them Christians of the Greek church. In the 
morning we repeated our visit to Jacob's well and 
Joseph's tomb, returning to town by the fine gardens 
on the southern hill-side. Everywhere were running 
streams and fountains, by the side of which grew 
pomegranates, magnolias, figs, olives, oranges, and 
apricots, in the greatest luxuriance and profusion. We 
entered the Samaritan synagogue during the worship. 
Nablous contains about one hundred and fifty Samari- 
tans, the last remnant of that mongrel people, whose 
history after the Babylonish captivity was so entangled 
with that of the Jews. The synagogue is a plain room, 
with an alcove. Slippers and shoes are removed on en- 
tering. There were about twenty persons present, fine 
looking men, of fair countenance, clothed each in a 
gown of white linen or cotton. One, with a noble black 
beard, wore a large kerchief over his head, and read 
from a large roll, five hundred years old, covered 
with red silk. To him the rest responded in mingled 
bass and alto, at full stretch of lungs. After the 
service, they showed us the famous old manuscript, 
which they assert was written by the son of Phinehas, 
grandson of Aaron ! It is a large roll of parchment, 
in a tin gilt case, and written in the Samaritan text. 
This is covered with red silk, beautified with gold 
letters. A covering of green silk, with gold letters, is 
wrapped about the whole case when laid aside. A 



296 



LEAVE NABLOUS. 



thousand years is the greatest antiquity I should like 
to venture for this reputed work of Abishua. The 
Samaritans still worship on their mountain (Gerizim) 
at stated periods of the year, and form a wonderful 
instance of continuance amid changes. But the rem- 
nant is now exceedingly small, — a slight matter will 
extinguish the spark ; and the Samaritan people, a 
transplanted vine of aged growth, will only live on the 
pages of history. In conversation with the white- 
bearded, venerable Yusef, our Christian entertainer, I 
learned from him that there were a hundred families of 
Greek Christians in Nablous. There are many Jews 
also in the town, yet the bigoted Mussulmans form 
the great majority of the inhabitants. Probably in no 
part of Syria are the Mohammedans so tenacious of 
their faith, and so inimical to Christians. 

In the morning, my room was suddenly transformed 
into a school, of which a young Greek Christian, who 
had been our guide to Jacob's well, was the instructor. 
Eleven tarbouched boys were squatted before their 
miniature tables and under full headway, bowing and 
vociferating their tasks, as if each were an indepen- 
dent school by himself. The teacher informed me, 
by means of an extremely elevated tone, that the full 
school numbered thirty, giving me to understand that 
Syrian boys were as prone to " playing truant " as any 
Anglo-Saxon youth. Of course, this school is con- 
fined to the Greek Christians, and its books are fur- 
nished by some English society. 

It was nearly 9 o'clock when we left our lodgings to 
continue our journey. We passed down the narrow 
and filthy street, noticing in the ruins of a mosque and 
other buildings the effects of the earthquake which 
injured several cities of Syria a few years ago. Ten 
palm trees are seen in and near Nablous, a fact worthy 



ANCIENT CHURCH RUINS. 



297 



of notice, as they are not often seen thus far north, 
except in the low valley of the Jordan, or the warm 
edge of the Mediterranean coast. 

Nablous is situated on the water-shed of the vale, 
and in leaving the town by its western extremity, we 
began a very gradual descent past fine groves of olives 
and along the many streamlets that fill the valley with 
beauty. A weed-grown aqueduct of no great length 
excited our risibles by the ridiculously varying sizes 
and shapes of its pointed arches. Passing this, we 
climbed the western limb of Ebal, en route for Sama- 
ria, our baggage having gone on by a more direct 
route to Jenin, our intended resting place for the night. 
From the summit we enjoyed a noble view of the hill 
of Samaria, rising in graceful form four hundred feet 
above its surrounding valleys. The situation of this 
capital of Israel reminded us of that of Judah's me- 
tropolis, a grand elevation surrounded by yet higher 
hills or mountains. Descending into the broad basin, 
we passed two arches of an old aqueduct, climbed a 
portion of the hill of Samaria, and sat down to rest, 
beneath the tempting shade of some aged olives. The 
modern village was above us, and by its side were the 
imposing remains of a Christian church. We mounted 
by a steep zigzag, among abundant relics of ancient 
structures, and examined this fine ruin. The east end 
is entire, beautifully arched and richly ornamented 
within and without. Within the enclosure of the 
church rises strangely a Mohammedan wely, and this 
is called the tomb of Neby Yehya ebn Zachariah, or 
John the Baptist. Beyond this ruin, on the summit 
of the extensive hill, grow figs and olives where former- 
ly were the palaces and pleasure houses of Ahab and 
Jezebel. While in the enclosure of the ruined church, 
which is now a vegetable garden and a waste of prickly 



298 



FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 



pears, we were prevented from further examinations by 
some sour-visaged villagers, who, by their rude speech, 
rendered it more prudent for us to quit the inhospitable 
spot and prosecute our journey before trouble should 
arise. Descending, therefore, whence we came, we 
remounted, and quitting the hill, crossed the northern 
valley to the range that bounds the basin of Samaria 
on that side. 

Bonar has beautifully noticed the complete ful- 
fillment of prophecy in relation to this city once 
so glorious. He quotes the prophecy of Micah,* " I 
will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as 
plantings of a vineyard : and I will pour down the 
stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the 
foundations thereof." He then illustrates these words 
by the actual condition of the spot. " Every clause 
reveals a new feature in the desolation of Samaria, 
differing- in all its details from the desolation of Jeru- 
salem, and every word has literally come to pass. We 
had found both on the summit and on the southern 
valley, at every little interval, heaps of ancient stones 
piled up, which had been gathered off the surface to 
clear it for cultivation. There can be no doubt that 
these stones once formed part of the temples, and 
palaces, and dwellings of Samaria, so that the word is 
fulfilled — 6 / will make Samaria as an heap of the field? 
We had, also, seen how completely the hill has been 
cleared of all its edifices, the stones gathered off it as 
in the clearing of a vineyard, the only columns that re- 
main standing bare without their capitols, so that, in all 
respects, the hill is left like the plantings of a vineyard; 
either like the bare vine-shoots of a newly planted 
vineyard, or like the well cleared terraces where vines 
might be planted. Still further, we had seen that the 



* Micah i. 6. 



SAMARIA'S RUIN. 



2^9 



ruins of the ancient city had not been left to moulder 
away on the hill where they were built, as is the case 
with other ruined cities, but had been cleared away to 
make room for the labours of the husbandman. The 
place where the buildings of the city stood has been 
tilled, sown, and reaped ; and the buildings themselves 
rolled down over the brow of the hill. Of this the 
heaps in the valley, the loose dykes that run up the 
sides, and the broken columns on their way down into 
the valley, are witnesses ; so that the destroyers of 
Samaria (whose very names are unknown), and the 
simple husbandman, have both unwittingly been fulfill- 
ing God's word — ' 1 will pour down the stones thereof 
into the valley.'' And last of all, we had noticed that 
many of the stones in the valley were large and massy, 
as if they had been foundation stones of a building, and 
that in many parts of the vast colonnade nothing more 
than the bases of the pillars remain. But, especially, 
we observed that the ruined church had been built upon 
foundations of a far older date than the church itself, 
the stones being of great size, and bevelled in a manner 
similar to the stones of the temple-w r all at Jerusalem 
and those of the mosque at Hebron ; and these foun- 
dations were now T quite exposed. So that the last 
clause of the prophecy is fulfilled with the same awful 
minuteness — ' I will discover the foundations thereof" 

No apology is necessary for introducing this long 
extract, where is so clearly brought to view the accu- 
racy of prophecy in its minutest particulars. We 
noticed all the points here produced, and found them 
fully to justify the words above quoted. As we ascended 
the northern mountains, we halted repeatedly to look 
back upon the unrivalled situation of the ancient city. 
How proudly must the heart of Ahab have beaten, as 
he gazed over these lovely valleys, and the magnificent 



300 



SMALL FARMS. 



hill of his capital rising from the centre of the scene ! 
It was on the spot whence we regarded this noble view, 
that the inspired herdsman of Tekoah summoned, in 
his glorious imagery, the Philistine and Egyptian host 
to assemble, and look down upon the tumults and op- 
pressions that were destroying their enemy's metropo- 
lis.* In this, how admirably precise is the Jewish 
prophet ! for from these heights, if Samaria had still 
been a city, we could have clearly seen the whole 
movements of the inhabitants. 

On the terraces of Samaria's hill, we could see many 
columns standing in desolation, almost the only upright 
relics of the city's grandeur. In the valleys Indian 
corn was growing, and appeared about two feet high, 
and cotton was about four inches above the ground. 
The villages were numerous, and situated, with pic- 
turesque effect, upon the declivities or summits of the 
mountains. We noticed very many piles of loose 
stones, resembling rude columns in shape, erected in 
the fields to mark the corner-limits of different owner- 
ships. Sometimes a man's property would be only ten 
feet square ! at each corner one of these rude pillars 
(such as Jacob must have erected at Bethel) rising as 
a sentry. The fields are thus divided and reckoned as 
lots in Wall street, by the feet and inches. In this 
region the men wear the tarbouch on one side of the 
head — probably a foppish fashion. 

Beyond the summit of the road, we gained a 
view of the Mediterranean Sea, and the sandy hills 
that line its coast. Before us were the mountains 
of Galilee, and a giant among all rose the snow-capped 
Hermon, seventy miles away. A lovely valley, whose 
grain yielded a variety of agreeable hues, lay far below 
and before us. Slanting downward along the northern 
face of the mountain, we passed several villages, at one 



* Amos iii. 9. 



JENIN. 



301 



of which (Jeba) we regained the direct road from 
Nablous, by which our mules had passed. Beyond this 
we passed through a stony strait, and then came out 
into a beautiful broad valley, with the rocky height of 
Sanur in full view before us. The town appeared quite 
formidable. We passed under the height, and entered 
a fine large plain, holding a lake of rain-water, where 
were gathered myriads of white storks. This plain is 
called 44 Merj el-Ghuruk," or 44 Drowned Meadow," 
and is about three miles wide. The anemone, con- 
volvolus, and many other flowers variegated the surface 
of the plain, over which we passed to gain the ridge 
beyond. Our course lay through a narrow vale y and 
then up a pass, from the top of which still new views 
of beauty were revealed. A basin of loveliest green 
lay below us on the left, and the mountains of Galilee 
rose beautifully in the clear atmosphere. 

We soon passed Gabatiyeh and its immense groves 
of olives. This was the first village which we had 
passed through since leaving Jerusalem. Crossing 
another small plain, we entered a smooth narrow wind- 
ing wady, which, in an hour and a half, brought us to 
Jenin, on the confines of the great plain of Esdraelon. 
Our tents were already pitched, and our men awaiting 
us. Beyond our tents was the encampment of a new 
governor of Jenin, who had just arrived at his station. 
The town was a few hundred yards upon the east of 
our camp, having nothing but a mosque, minaret, and 
a few palm trees, that possessed any attraction. 
Hedges of prickly pear abounded, and a running 
stream of some magnitude passed near. We were 
wearied with our day's ride, and gladly accepted the 
rest offered upon the sward. This part of the country 
possesses an unpleasant reputation, and we were 
rather uneasy in our position, in spite of the guber- 
natorial retinue that neighboured us, for a Turkish 



302 



NIGHT AT JENIN. 



governor is generally but a licensed villain, and the fact 
of possessing a license gives but small comfort to the 
victim, who cares chiefly for results. We were now 
in Issachar, having come through Ephraim and 
Manasseh. He had been promised a pleasant land by 
Jacob,* and our first sight of the beautiful plain of 
Esdraelon or Jezreel amply proved the fulfilment of the 
patriarch's prophetic promise. We noticed the sheep 
here, as throughout Palestine, having tails as broad as 
their body at their roots, and thence tapering to a 
point. Grasshoppers were plentiful, and had a pecu- 
liar head-ornament of horns, which I had never seen 
elsewhere. 

That night the moon shone in unusual beauty, 
and we smoked in admiration before the tent. The 
frogs were making music in the neighbouring ponds. 
A number of threshing-floors surrounded our position, 
on each of which a man sat watchman over the 
precious grain. On one, a watchman of higher rank, 
or greater industry, had erected a booth, under 
which he could mount guard with more comfort and, 
perhaps, less effect. Toads and ants were prevalent, 
and did not serve as agreeable additions to our moon- 
light enjoyments. We sat meditatively, and thought 
of the Canaanites, Issachar, and the Turkish sultan, 
till we felt our meditation gradually melting into sleep, 
when we pulled down the curtain of the tent, and en- 
countered Morpheus in the usual manner. 

In the morning, before starting, I took a hurried sur- 
vey of Jenin. It was as dirty as Syrian towns generally. 
Its mosque, and palm trees; and a fine clear stream, with 
stone embankments and pebbly bottom, were all the 
lions of the ancient village of Ginaea. The people 
looked scowlingly upon me as I passed. Hurrying 
back, through the prickly pears and the burial-ground, 



* Genesis xlix. 15. 



PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 



303 



we were soon off in the great plain. For 4| hours we 
were passing over the fertile expanse by the first good 
road we had seen in Palestine. The ground was 
cracked everywhere, deep crevices extending down- 
ward, and revealing the rich character of the soil. 
Flowers of every variety grew upon each side, but not 
a tree was visible in the whole extent of the plain. 
Crops of cotton, Indian corn, and wheat abounded, 
yet half the land was neglected and untilled — probably 
the mingled effect of an oppressive government and an 
indolent people. Gnats filled the air, and were as 
bothersome as they usually are. 

The sites visible from the plain were of intense in- 
terest ; Carmel, Elijah's abode, bounded Esdraelon 
upon the north-west, by the side of the Great Sea. 
Along the same range, and nearer to us, was Megiddo, 
where Ahaziah died of his wounds. Still nearer, on 
the hill-side, lay " Taanach with her towns." 

On our right were the mountains of Gilboa, where 
Saul was slain ; near our path was Jezreel, where dogs 
ate Jezebel. Beyond was the mountain of Ed-Duhy, 
at whose foot lay Shunem, where Elisha raised to life 
the son of the Shunemite. When we had passed Ed- 
Duhy, we looked back on Endor, where Saul had 
visited the witch, and Nain, at whose gate the widow 
had her son restored by the Incarnate God. Here the 
green and graceful Tabor recalled the triumph of De- 
borah and Barak, while the hills and mountains of 
Galilee before us encircled the earthly home of the 
Saviour. Surrounded by such stirring associations, 
our ride had all the excitement of romance, and we 
were wandering among the days of old. 

We fell in with several horsemen exercising them- 
selves in equestrian accomplishments, with the dashing 
recklessness of the Orientals. A Turk on foot shows 
as little animation as a zoophyte, but place him on a 



304 



ESDRAELON. 



horse, and he is exuberant with life. There is a magic 
influence in the saddle which puts him to all the action 
of a mountebank ; it is the only inspiration that can 
move a Turk. As we passed the little decayed village 
of Fuleh, that more resembled the mud settlement of 
beavers than the home of a human community, a horse- 
man issued from its mounds of filth ; he was splendidly 
mounted, and bore a formidable spear, at least twelve 
feet in length. A footman preceded him, and they 
directed their course across our path. We could easily 
imagine the knight an accoutred Saladin, and actually 
did fancy him a noble freebooter, prepared to pay his 
addresses to our luggage, for the plain was lonely and 
the neighbouring village would have made an admirable 
substitute for Ali Baba's cave, for concealment both of 
plunderers and property ; but, on nearer inspection, the 
equestrian proved a Turkish soldier from Nazareth, 
and his avant-courier was an unfortunate peasant who 
had shown a dullness in comprehending the laws of 
ownership, and was therefore now about to enter the 
proper school for removing this deficiency of intellect. 
The poor Fulehite seemed to tremble at the very 
shadow of the long spear behind him, that utterly cut 
off his hopes of retreat, and he endeavoured to keep in 
advance beyond the reach of the military spit. This 
was a novel but effectual method of showing a culprit 
to prison, completely setting aside the necessity of 
musket or fetters. 

After crossing the head waters of " that ancient 
river, the river Kishon," which had swept away 
the hosts of Sisera, and after long admiration of 
the graceful form of the green Tabor, we arrived at 
the northern limit of the plain at the foot of the moun- 
tains of Galilee. From this point, an hour of passage 
up a ravine and over intervening hills brought us to 
the Vale of Nazareth, a scene of sweet rural beauty. 



XAZARETH. 



305 



The small cup-like valley is snugly sequestered among 
the heights ; fields and gardens occupied its bed, the 
peasantry were busy in the yellow harvest, and the 
town of hallowed memories lay peacefully and pleas- 
antly upon the western hill-side. The Latin convent 
was conspicuous among the neat buildings of the 
place ; a mosque, with a girdle of cypresses, lent its 
picturesque effect ; and the figs and olives, that add so 
much to the beauty of Palestine, were not wanting 
here. It was just such a view that we should wish to 
associate with " the child Jesus " — a natural frame of 
loveliness for that spiritual picture. We found rooms, 
neat and comfortable, in the guest-house of the convent, 
and experienced every attention from the monks. 

After a substantial dinner, we ascended the hill 
behind the town, a height of about 500 feet. We 
passed several rows of houses that stand one above 
another on the acclivity, and then mounted by a steep 
path worn in the limestone through the fields of grass, 
in which numbers of children were at play, the swing 
being the most fruitful source of their merriment. On 
the summit is a Mohammedan wely, called " Neby 
Ismail." We seated ourselves beside the tomb, and 
enjoyed a glorious prospect. At the south was the 
green carpet of Esdraelon, terminated by Carmel and 
the glittering sea. On the north was the small and 
beautiful plain of El Buttauf, perhaps " the valley of 
Jiphthah-el."* In this plain the ruined castle of Sep- 
phoris, or Dio Csesarea, appeared upon its hill, resem- 
bling in shape a modern church with square tower. 
Beyond rose the mountains of northern Galilee and 
the snow-capped peak of Hermon. On the east, the 
mountains of Bashan bounded the view, between 
which and our position lay hidden the sacred sea of 



* Joshua xix. 14. 



306 



vSw FROM THE HILL. 



Tiberias ; and nearer by, the rounded summit of Tabor" 
lifted itself above the intervening hills. No scene had 
excited such delightful emotion except the simultaneous 
view of- Bethlehem and Jerusalem. There we gazed 
on the places of our Saviour's passion ; here on the 
scenes of his action. As the Babe of Bethlehem and 
as the sacrifice of Calvary, he had exhibited himself 
mainly as the passive Saviour — he had been led either 
by his parents or his enemies ; but in the vale of 
Nazareth, and among the hills of Galilee, he had been 
the powerful preacher, the energetic prophet, the un- 
tiring philanthropist, the active Saviour, "going about 
doing good." Judea, as it were, holds up to view the 
punished disobedience, and Galilee the rewarded obe- 
dience of man, represented in the suffering and per- 
forming Christ. And there is a correspondence in 
physical appearance to this spiritual consideration : 
Judea, which especially felt the force of Roman ven- 
geance, is yet strewn with the wrecks of that awful 
storm, and the ruined towns and neglected tillage of 
the land are fearful mementos of the expended curse ; 
while Galilee, in its fruitful plains and valleys, in its 
peaceful lake and green-clad hills, betokens aptly the 
rich blessings of God reconciled. 

We sat in blameless enthusiasm, looking on the vil- 
lages about us and the winding pathways, as once the 
frequent resort of the Nazarene. Perhaps the very 
hill-top where we sat had often been the retired spot 
where he had loved to pray, and whence in love and 
pity he had gazed upon the earth he came to save. 
Such moments of enjoyment as these would amply 
repay all labour taken in an Eastern journey ; for, in 
comparison with such scenes, Europe has scarce a 
claim upon the traveller's steps. We could not wonder 
at the pilgrim's zeal, which would defy the combined 



MT. TABOR. 



307 



powers of poverty, disease, and war, in order to feast 
upon such rich repast, and even the violence of the 
crusader received a momentary palliation. 

The next morning we rode to Tiberias. Two hours' 
ride over the limestone hills brought us to the foot of 
Tabor. The village of Dabouriyeh (an evident cor- 
ruption of the ancient name of Daberath) lay upon our 
right, upon the skirts of the noble mountain. The 
shape of Tabor is not conical, as we had presupposed, 
but rather that of a boat with its keel turned upwards. 
Its sides are covered with the dwarf-oak, among which 
a zig-zag path, rough, and even dangerous in some 
places, leads to the broad summit, which we reached 
in about an hour and a half from the base, hav ing lost 
our way for about ten minutes of the time. A large 
field of wheat was growing upon the table-land of the 
summit over which we passed to reach the extensive 
ruins at the south-east extremity. These ruins mark 
the site of a large town, and some massive portions 
tell of an early date. There can be no doubt that, in 
the time of our Saviour, this height was crowned with 
an important fortress, which effectually overthrows 
the monkish legend of the site of the Transfiguration 
as connected with Tabor. The monks of early ages 
were professional site-makers, and one of their first 
rules of business seems to have run somewhat thus : — 
" Be sure to select a site so conspicuous, and so be- 
fitting the event in one particular, that posterity will 
hug the belief of its identity, in spite of its disagree- 
ment in other particulars." So here Christ is said to 
have been transfigured on a mountain apart, and the 
monkish college of illustration and adaptation im- 
mediately select Tabor, which rises alone upon the 
plain, as the incontrovertible spot, notwithstanding the 
almost certain fact of a town having occupied that 



308 



VIEW FROM TABOE. 



summit at the time, and the strong evidence we have 
from the gospel narrative that the mount of Trans- 
figuration was in the north of Galilee, near Csesarea 
Philippi, whence to his city of Capernaum Jesus would 
have to pass " through Galilee."* 

The view from Tabor is, as might be supposed from 
its isolated position, extremely fine, comprising most 
of the objects seen from the hill behind Nazareth, 
with the addition of a part of the Sea of Galilee. The 
majestic Hermon lifted its white head at the north, and 
reminded us of the Psalmist's words — " Tabor and 
Hermon shall rejoice in thy name."f We wandered 
for a time among the picturesque ruins hung with 
vines, among walls and vaults of great extent, and, 
having refreshed ourselves from the fine well of water 
that had formerly supplied the fortress and town, we 
descended by the same path by which we had mounted, 
until near the base, when we struck northward. 

We were six minutes less than an hour in gaining the 
foot of the mountain, from which our course lay over low 
hills to Khan et-Tujjar, which, though a name in the 
singular, seems to be applied to two formidable looking 
Saracenic fortresses, one on either side the path, 
stationed in a retired wady. We were afterwards told, 
at Tiberias, that a great concourse from the neigh- 
bouring towns resorted every Monday to a fair held 
at this point. Leaving this, we passed Kefr Sabt on a 
hill, and then rode around the head of the depressed 
plain of Ard-el-Hamma, a beautiful expanse, variegated 
with all the shades of ripe and ripening grain, but pos- 
sessing not one tree. On the left rose the two singular 
peaks, called the Horns of Hattin, which the site- 
makers have dubbed the Mount of Beatitudes. We 



* See Mark viii. 27, ix. 30, and the corresponding passages in Matt, and Luke, 
f Psalm lxxxix. 12. 



TIBERIAS. 



309 



could have been sure that so conspicuous a height 
would not have escaped a situation in the monkish 
nomenclature. But history has rendered it a surer 
memorial of another event — the famous battle of Hat- 
tin, which was gained by Saladin over the army of the 
crusaders on the ground over which lay our course 
back from Tiberias. It was this battle that practically 
overthrew the theory of " Christianity promoted by 
force," and sent the usurping Franks back to their 
more legitimate duties at home. Beyond this, we ar- 
rived upon the brink of the the heights that surround 
Gennesaret, and looked down upon the lake. It was a 
scene of rare beauty. The noble heights contrasted 
well with the peaceful surface of the water that had 
often borne the immortal body of the Son of God. 
We descended over a rough path, now gaining a view 
of the little plain of Gennesaret, that bordered the 
lake upon the north-west, and now obtaining sight of 
the town of Tiberias, that stood upon the very brink 
of the water beneath us. The town appeared forbid- 
dingly dreary — its shattered walls were of sombre hue, 
and a few palm trees seemed to hang weeping over its 
desolation. We reached the gate in an hour from the 
summit of the hills, and on entering found the town a 
wretched skeleton. The earthquake had shaken it to 
fragments, and masses of ruins appeared on every side. 
The Jews' quarter only had been rebuilt, and thither, 
over the heaps of rubbish, we took our way. W r e 
stopped before the door of one Haiim Weissman, a 
German Jew, and were immediately waited upon by a 
bright faced, neatly dressed boy, who ushered us into 
a room that boasted of a cleanliness most out of place 
in Syria. Here we settled ourselves and our luggage, 
and were hospitably received by Mr. Weissman, 
who extended to us every civility in his power. The 
21 



310 



A YOUTHFUL WEDDING. 



Jews form almost all the inhabitants of Tiberias. This 
place, Saphet, Hebron, and Jerusalem, form the four 
sacred points of Palestine in Jewish eyes, and to these 
spots come all those whom religious zeal has attracted 
to the land of their ancient glory, the home of their 
fathers. They have five synagogues, all of them neat 
and clean buildings — but there are no traces of the 
celebrated academy of the School of Tiberias, where 
the compilers of. the Mishna and Gemara prosecuted 
their task. Alas ! the days of even that glory are 
passed away from Tiberias. 

Shortly after our arrival, we heard of a wedding in the 
town, and hastened out to witness it. A great concourse 
had collected in the court of a synagogue. They kindly 
made way for us, and gave us a good stand by the door of 
the building. In the midst of the crowd was a canopy, 
but as yet no one stood beneath it. After waiting some 
time, at length the groom, a lad of fourteen, appeared, 
and stationed himself under the centre of the canopy. 
A procession then revolved about him, composed of two 
men with torches, the bride, in tinselled head-dress, 
and two old women, one of whom led and the other 
followed the bride. After several revolutions, this 
peculiar movement ended, and bride and groom each 
drank a glass of wine ; then an old white-bearded Jew 
came forward and lifted up his voice in a prayer of 
deep solemnity, doubtless calling on the God of Israel 
to seal with His blessing the union that had there been 
proclaimed. This last scene was truly touching, and 
the whole assembly were evidently affected. 

Tiberias has only a population of 1000 since the 
earthquake, of which the large majority are Jews. 
There are twenty families of Greek Christians, a few 
Mussulman families, and only one Latin Christian, be- 
sides a friar from Nazareth, who takes care of the old 



CAPERNAUM. 



311 



Latin church. This church is some 600 years old, 
and purports to be built upon, or near, the site of the 
miraculous draught of fishes. It is now lately white- 
washed, and has a modern appearance. It is a long, 
narrow vault, with pointed-arch roof, without the 
slightest ornament, internal or external. 

Beyond this, the town is almost wholly destitute of 
interest, besides its sacred associations. Columns and 
ruined friezes are seen about the lanes and in the sides 
of the houses, and the town in general, with its broken 
wall and mounds of ruins, is a shrunken body in a 
shattered frame— the saddest, most sombre place of 
abode our eyes had ever witnessed. 

Early the next morning after our arrival, we hired 
the only boat upon the lake, as wretched and fragile a 
bark as ever rode the waves, and hoisted sail for Tell 
Hum, at the north end of the sea, but the wind proving 
very slight, we found our limited time would not per- 
mit so long a sail, and we accordingly steered for Ain 
et-Tin, or the Fount of the Fig, where Dr. Robinson 
has placed the site of Capernaum. This spot is about 
seven miles north of Tiberias, at the northern extrem- 
ity of a small plain, formed by a recession of the 
mountains. A ruined khan (Khan Minyeh) lies above 
it, and from the rock a noble stream gushes forth, over 
which bends a beautiful cluster of fig trees, whence 
comes the fountain's name. The stream runs but a 
few rods, and then empties into the sea. The stream 
was full of small fish. Not far from this delicious 
fountain is a mound, on which are a few unimportant 
ruins, scarcely distinguishable, probably the all remain- 
ing of that exalted Capernaum which was to be thrust 
down to hell.* We pushed out into the lake opposite 
this, and fished where so often Peter and Andrew, 



* Luke x. 15. 



312 



LAND OF THE GADAREXES. 



James and John, had cast their nets. A few peasants 
were gathering grain on the plain, but that and our own 
company was all of the human visible in this place, 
where a busy population had once beheld the Lord of 
Glory. In sailing back, we looked carefully at El- 
Mejdel, a miserable village at the southern extremity 
of the plain before mentioned. We looked carefully, 
for this is supposed to be the Magdala whence came 
Mary Magdalene, the faithful follower of Jesus. We 
reached Tiberias asfain. after an absence of six and a 
half hours. Our four boatmen, supposing we wished 
to be on the lake only half an hour, had gone break- 
fastless, a fact of which we had been ignorant ; when 
it became necessary to row, they barely could summon 
strength, which had made our passage evidently 
slower than would have been under other circumstan- 
ces. It was probably this unsatisfied condition of 
their stomachs that had induced them to urge us to 
give up our intended visit to Tell Hum, a loss which 
we afterwards greatly regretted.* 

Opposite Tiberias is the land of the Gadarenes, and 
here the hills incline steeply towards the sea, almost 
appearing as cliffs. It was down one of these preci- 
pices the swine ran when the devils had entered into 
them. On a hill beyond the northern extremity of the 
lake, we saw the ruins of Bethsaida. South of Tiberias, 
about a mile distant, is the Emmaus of Josephus,f 
whose hot baths are famous, and where Ibrahim Pacha 
had erected a new building for the convenience of 
bathing. We left Tiberias at one in the afternoon, 



* At 7 A. M. found the temperature of the air 71 deg., ditto of the water of 
the lake, 73 deg. (Fahr.) — June 2. 

f Dr. Robinson flunks Emmaus but a Greek form of the Hebrew Hammath, 
-signifying "warm baths;" and this Hammath he supposes the Hammath of 
Xapthali. — Joshua xix. 35. 



CAN A OF GALILEE. 



313 



and mounted the steep hill-sides, towards the Horns 
of Hattin. On the way are shown the Hejar en Nus- 
ara, or stones where Christ sat when he fed the multi- 
tude. The monks have indeed been indefatigable in 
spreading a carpet of fanciful tradition over the Holy 
Land, which, however, the enlightened spirit of the age 
is fast wearing into shreds. 

In two hours from Tiberias we arrived at a well, 
surrounded by stone troughs, where we halted to drink. 
Here we overtook an Egyptian, who interchanged 
cordial greetings with his countrymen, our servants. 
An Indian dervish and his two friends met us, whom 
we recognized as having before seen near Nablous. 
These were all, like ourselves, strangers in the land, 
and we felt a readiness to enter into a sympathizing 
conversation, but the waning day urged us onward. 
We passed the village of Lubieh, and then along the 
side of a fertile plain, over against the large and pretty 
town of Turan, to the hills that compose the region 
about Nazareth. Here we soon found the ugly hamlet 
of Kefr Kenna, at the foot of a limestone hill. This is 
the Cana of Galilee, according to the monks. Dr. Rob- 
inson has brought forward an array of testimony, which 
shows that there was formerly another place further 
north, that bore the name of Kana-el-Jelil, and which 
was regarded as the real Cana of Galilee. This place 
he was shown from the hill behind Nazareth, though he 
did not visit the spot. On our route from Nazareth to 
Akka, we passed within two miles and in full view of this 
supposed Kana-el-Jelil. I carefully inquired of the peas- 
antry, and they assured me they had never heard the 
name. I then accosted a man apparently of some rank, 
and asked him concerning the desired spot. He told me 
that he had always lived in that neighbourhood, but had 
never heard that name before. He stated that there 



314 



KEFR KENNA. 



was a village called simply " Jelil," six hours north of 
our position, but no other of like title, to his know- 
ledge. I then pointed him the ruined village east of 
Kefr Menda. which Abu Nasir had shown Dr. Robin- 
son as Kana el-Jelil and asked him the name. He re- 
plied it was Deiduly,* and he knew it by no other 
name. From these facts, I would conclude that, while 
Kefr Kenna has been seized upon by the Latins as the 
true Cana, the Greeks have formerly used Deiduly for 
the same purpose ; or if the Latins had also held the 
latter belief, they had changed the spot for one nearer 
at hand, as more convenient. As far then as evidence 
of name goes, Kefr Kenna seems to have the strongest 
claims, for manifestly the title of Kana el-Jelil is only 
known to the Christians, and from the total ignorance 
of this name exhibited by the natives, it has been the 
offspring rather than the parent of the tradition. 
Crossing another ridge of green hills, we descended 
into a sweet little valley, completely shut in by the 
beautiful heights. Here was the village of Er Reineh. 
A gushing fountain burst forth by the road-side, and by 
it stood a fine trough of white marble, with festoons 
in bas-relief upon its side, evidently a fragment of 
some important ancient building, hollowed out by 
modern hands for its present humble service. The 
peasants met us with a cheerful " Buon Sera," which 
they had derived from the monks of Nazareth — so 
different a reception from the customary scowl or in- 
difference which the traveller in Syria learns to digest. 
Shepherds were watering their flocks at the stream, 
ana 1 girls of really beautiful countenance were bearing 
their water-jars to and from the fountain. The whole 
scene was eminently peaceful and pastoral, and realized 
our brightest fancies of the rural happiness of ancient 



* This may be Idalah.- 



, — Joshua xix. 15. 



RETURN TO NAZARETH. 



315 



Israel, when this very vale, " flowing with milk and 
honey," was the home of a people whose " God was 
the Lord." A ridge of hills divides this valley from 
that of Nazareth, over which we soon passed to our 
former lodgings, arriving in five hours from Tiberias. 



SUNDAY IN NAZARETH— LEAVE NAZARETH— SEFURIEH— VALE OF 
ABILIN—AKKA— TYRE— SIDON— BEIRUT. 

The next day was Sunday, which we spent quietly 
in the town and its suburbs. The children, as before, 
were swinging merrily under the trees as we made a 
second visit to the hill-top, and we were confirmed in 
our former opinion that Nazareth and its vicinity 
exhibited more appearances of happiness and content- 
ment than any portion of Syria we had seen. The 
women were decidedly pretty and affable, and this, 
too, was a strange fact for our eyes. In the after- 
noon, we went over to the Latin convent to attend 
vespers. The church is a fine edifice, with a raised 
centre, to which a staircase leads. The walls are 
hung with rich damask, and several altars adorn the 
sides. A number of the Christian inhabitants gath- 
ered in the church, and knelt upon the floor. We 
stationed ourselves by a side altar, and witnessed the 
apparent sincerity and earnestness of these Eastern 
Christians in their worship. The fine tones of the 
organ, and the solemn postures of the congregation in 
the town of our Saviour's abode, were affecting in the 
extreme. Yet we could not forget that that Saviour 
was robbed of his glory by these very worshippers that 
called themselves by his name. In ignorance, they 



ROMAN CATHOLIC WORSHIP. 



317 



did not view him as their sole Saviour, but the Ro- 
manist leaven had brought their works in rivalry with 
Him who " is made unto us wisdom, and righteous- 
ness, and sanctification, and redemption."* 

Yet the scene was solemn, as is all sincere worship 
when its manner is subdued, even though error be a 
large ingredient ; but I confess the solemnity fast di- 
minished when the worthy cowled friar who presided 
at the organ gradually slid out of his psalmody, and 
showered upon us cotillons, waltzes, and polkas in 
most fertile variety. The organist in sackcloth was 
probably recalling his days of worldly folly by the 
enlivening influence of his youthful music, unaware 
that the critical ears of foreign amateurs were there to 
be confounded by these unseasonable sounds. 

After the vesper service was concluded, Fra Ben- 
venuto, the good-hearted brother who had acted as 
our special host, showed us the contents of this eccle- 
siastical museum. Several ordinary paintings helped 
to adorn the edifice, and one, the large picture of the 
Annunciation, possessed considerable merit. The small 
picture of the Annunciation (over the altar where the 
Annunciation took place !) we did not see, as we were 
unwilling to spend our time and money in a series of 
ceremonies that must needs preface its exposure to 
public gaze. Fra Benvenuto consoled us by declaring 
the picture to be of no great importance. This altar 
of the Annunciation is beneath the level of the floor, 
under the high altar. It bears a tablet, inscribed, " Hie 
verbum caro factum est." Here is shown the column, 
which, though severed from its base, and having its 
lower portion removed, yet miraculously hangs from 
the roof! Here, too, is the window through which 



* 1 Cor. i. 30. 



318 



MONKISH FOLLIES. 



the announcing angel came ! and here, most wondrous 
tale of all, formerly stood the house of the Virgin, 
which once grew weary of remaining in a land where 
it had so many rivals in the relic line, and flew over to 
Italy, where it could have the field more to itself ! ! 
On its way from Nazareth to Loretto, a goodly jour- 
ney, and somewhat unusual for a house, it stopped to 
breathe awhile in Dalmatia, it may be, to plume itself 
and arrange its fair proportions, so that it could leap 
the Adriatic, and appear in its new home with greater 
effect. It is rather presuming on a man's verdancy to 
tell such a Munchausen story, nothwithstanding it be 
sprinkled with holy water by good Mother Church ; 
and though the surprising legend had often excited our 
sense of the ridiculous, yet one might suppose that 
upon its sober enunciation at the alleged spot of the 
event, we would have considered ourselves insulted by 
the bare-foot friar. Not at all, good reader ; we had 
become so accustomed to this tradition-diet, that the 
most spicy mouthfuls were taken without a murmur ; 
and when we arrived in lands unblest by these valua- 
ble treasures, we found some time necessary to pre- 
pare our palates again for the plainer fare that the 
less imaginative cuisine of Protestantism prepares. 

After Fra Benvenuto had duly expended his kindness 
and credulity upon us in the church, we were conduct* 
ed to Joseph's carpenter shop ! and to our Saviour's 
dining table ! Then we visited the Maronite chapel, 
a small building of bare and unsightly interior. The 
old Maronite priest was ringing a big bell, like 
unto a boarding-school dinner-bell, to assemble his 
scattered flock, as primitive a method of summoning a 
congregation, — as the priest was primitive in his exter- 
nal appearance. Just over this little church the hill 
rises abruptly, forming a precipice, which may well be 



TRADITIONISTS. 



319 



the point to which the crowd endeavored to bring our 
Lord in order to cast him therefrom. There is cer- 
tainly no necessity, and little sense, in placing the spot 
at a distance of two miles from Nazareth, where the 
most sage and erudite traditionists affirm the site to 
be. The Maronites, though principally resident on 
Mount Lebanon, have many communities scattered 
about Syria. They were Monothelite heretics of the 
seventh century, supposed to have adopted the name 
of their first bishop Maro. In the twelfth century 
they became re-joined to Rome, and still own subjec- 
tion to the pope, though they have rites, precepts, and 
opinions that Romanists would scarcely confirm. We 
saw but little of their worship, and that, little was by 
no means favourable. 

On Monday morning at seven o'clock, we rode out 
of Nazareth, expecting to reach the sea once more by 
evening, the very sight of which would seem to render 
home nearer. We passed the full fountain surrounded 
by the females of Nazareth, each waiting her turn to 
I fill her jar$ and leaving the Greek chapel on the out- 
skirts of the town, we climbed the limestone path over 
the northern hills, from the summit of which we looked 
down on the lovely valley of Er Reineh, through which 
we had passed two days before. Before us rose the 
ruined castle of Sefurieh, or Sepphoris, towards which 
our path wound. In less than two hours from Naza- 
reth, we reached that place. The hills clothed with 
pasture, the numerous flocks, the fields of grain, and 
the harvesters gayly singing at their work, were a living 
illustration of the description of the Psalmist — " The 
little hills rejoice on every side, the pastures are clothed 
with flocks, the valleys also are covered over with 
corn ; they shout for joy, they also sing."* The village 



* Psalm l'xv. 12, 13. 



320 



SEFURIEH. 



of Sefurieh is a shabby, dilapidated collection of houses, 
at the foot and side of the hill which the ruined castle 
crowns. Our road lay in the valley before the village, 
but I turned off my horse, and struck upwards through 
the dirty lanes, over roofs of houses, and among thresh- 
ing-floors and winnowing-grounds, to the consternation 
of the women and children of the village, until I came 
out behind the place, and reached the old ruin. The 
castle is exceedingly imposing when seen from afar, but 
has its grandeur greatly diminished by a close exami- 
nation. It is evidently Saracenic, and partially built 
with stones of an older edifice. It is only about thirty 
feet square, its interior being one room, with roof and 
windows of pointed arch much smoked by fires made 
in it, when used, probably, as a dwelling by the natives. 
There seems to have been an upper story, but it is now 
destroyed. From Nazareth the building had appeared 
of great size, and if I had trusted to my view there had, 
I should have supposed the castle rather three hundred 
feet square than thirty, so wonderfully deceptive was 
the atmosphere, as we had seen, also, in previous in- 
stances. Below the castle, to the west, and almost in 
the village, is the ruined church of " Joachim and 
Anna," the reputed parents of the Virgin Mary, whose 
house is reported to have covered this site. There 
remain merely the extremities of the three aisles, and 
some fragments scattered about. Galloping down the 
uneven sides of the hill, I rejoined the party, and we 
proceeded north-west along the western side of the 
great plain of El-Buttauf. In an hour from Sefurieh, 
we passed a ruined Khan and well, where flocks were 
watering. This was called El-Bedawy.* Here com- 
menced the Vale of Abilin, through which we were to 
pass to Akka. The opening was, at the junction, a 



* Dr. Robinson marks it on his map as, " Kaukab ?" 



PLAIN OF AKKA. 



321 



mile broad. Opposite El-Bedawy, at the foot of the 
mountains on the north of the plain of El-Buttauf, was 
the village of Kefr Menda ; and further eastward was 
the ruined Beiduly, whose supposed identity with Cana 
of Galilee has already been mentioned. 

We now left the plain of El-Buttauf, which was a small 
likeness of Esdraelon, and turned westward through the 
Vale of Abilin. This was a pleasant, retired valley, be- 
tween graceful hills, and offering an excellent natural 
road. It exhibited no cultivation for the most of its ex- 
tent, but had a considerable wild growth of dwarf oak and 
butm. It was winding and narrow for an hour ; it then 
widened, and presented patches of tillage, and here on 
the left we saw the imposing village of Abilin, perched 
on high, with its mosque and minaret. This is doubt- 
less the town of Zebulun (Joshua xix. 27), and tends to 
prove my supposition that the plain of El-Buttauf 
is the valley of Jipthah-El. We here caught sight 
of the blue sea, with feelings of no common delight. 
Khaifa and its white walls appeared upon its brink, 
and beyond rose the " excellency of Carmel," with its 
formidable monastery, where the friars commemorate 
the abode of Elijah on the mountain, by living in a 
style the very antipodes of that which the frugal^ 
eremitic prophet affected. Several villages appeared 
upon our right, and upon the left we looked back upon 
the lofty fortress of Shefa Amar, a most warlike look- 
ing object both in structure and position. We had 
passed Et-Tireh some distance before we obtained our 
first view of Akka about six miles in advance. In a 
few minutes more we were fairly on the plain of Akka, 
which extends from Carmek northward for twenty 
miles, and maintains an average breadth of five miles 
from the sea. On the plain, not far from the point 
where we entered, is a very curious large mound, 



322 



SEARCH FOR THE CONSUL. 



shaped somewhat like a truncated cone, partly culti- 
vated on its sides, but untilled on its flat summit. To 
the west of it is a well. Both mound and well bear 
the name of Bissan. We were an hour and forty 
minutes crossing the plain. As we approached the 
walls of Akka, we met many women carrying kettles 
full of bread and fruit, probably bought at the market 
of Akka, to carry to their homes in the neighbouring 
villages. They wore a profusion of coins around their 
faces, — a moneyed frame to their countenances. Each 
could truly tell her suitors that " her face was her for- 
tune," and an heiress-hunter would be saved all the trou- 
ble of inspecting register offices, by carefully studying 
the visages of his female acquaintances, — a result that 
Lavater never dreamed of in his physiognomy. 

We entered at length the gate of Akka, and were 
again in a large town. The usual sight of nar- 
row lanes, rickety houses, bazaars, coffee-shops, and 
lazy Moslems, met our eyes, as we twisted through a 
score of labyrinthine passages to find the monastery, 
where we hoped to obtain lodgings. At length, we 
were conducted into the area of a large Khan, which 
afforded ocular evidence of serving as soldiers' bar- 
racks ; for scattered about were the defenders of the 
Ottoman Empire, some rubbing up their bayonets, 
and others arranging their toilette. We could see no 
monastic appearance in anything here to justify our 
temporary settlement ; so we retreated from the quad- 
rangle, and started in search of the American Consul, 
for our eyes had been greeted, when entering the 
town, by a sight of the stars and stripes, which suffi- 
ciently indicated a consulate. Our search for the con- 
sul proved more entangled than our previous hunt after 
the convent. We were directed from one end of the 
town to the other, and then back to our original point 



THE KHAN. 



323 



of starting, but in vain. I climbed several houses, and 
endeavoured to catch a glimpse of the flag that had 
attracted our notice on the plain, but, as an ignis 
fatuus, it had disappeared. Persevering, we at length 
stumbled upon the desired consulate. We found the 
Consul a Syrian, most anxious to oblige, and, under his 
escort, we were shown to the convent, which proved 
to be a portion of the identical Khan we had before 
visited. Here we found that the good monks were 
taking a siesta, and must not be disturbed, and, more- 
over, we were informed that an Arab family were oc- 
cupying the rooms which the convent set apart for 
ladies, and our occupation of those rooms would con- 
sequently turn out-of-doors the present tenants. In this 
emergency we were about forsaking Akka, and en- 
camping somewhere on the plain, when our Consul 
begged us to accept his rooms for the night, and an 
Italian friend of the Consul, who resided in the Khan, 
also tendered his apartments for our use. As we were 
already near the latter, we accepted the Italian's offer, 
and had our baggage brought up to a terrace or gal- 
lery that ran beneath the rooms. The Khan was 
ornamented by a fountain, overhung with willows, in 
the centre of the open quadrangle, and about this were 
soldiers and others loitering in the oriental bliss of in- 
activity. Along the stone corridors of the interior, 
where were the barracks, the soldiers had raised small 
patches of Indian corn, which reminded me of the crops 
of oats children often cultivate in tumblers, there being 
a great similarity in the extent of rurality and profit 
of the agricultural schemes. 

Akka did not exhibit as much of interest in its in- 
terior as we had been led to anticipate by its formid- 
able aspect from without. It has a goodly gate, but 
there end its virtues. The point of land on which it 



324 



LEAVE AKKA 



stands forms the side of its only harbour, and there 
we counted its extensive marine, numbering in all four 
small fishing boats ! We rowed out to an isolated for- 
tification that had been well riddled by English shot, 
and thence along the outer sea-wall, partially repaired, 
but still exhibiting huge gashes and rents formed by 
British cannon. The next morning, the Consul, in 
company with the Pacha's janissary, called upon us, 
and invited us to view the fortifications. We set out, 
and made the complete circuit of the town upon the 
walls, as far as was practicable. The old janissary 
strutted before us, as proud as a pacha, and at every 
guard-house half a dozen ragged looking soldiers, in 
faded regimentals, and commanded by a corporal in 
corresponding habiliments, turned out, and did their 
Frank visiters honour by presenting arms, in this case 
as warlike a manoeuvre as is seen in the old nurse, 
when she presents arms to an infant. From the walls we 
had an excellent view of the dilapidated condition of the 
town, and saw the wrecks of the powder-house, which 
had done such havoc by its explosion during the siege. 
In the ruined walls on the sea-side there remained many 
cannon-balls imbedded, which we attributed to the 
English, but which the Akkaites refer to Ibrahim Pacha. 

At eight o'clock we left Akka by its single gate, and 
struck northward along the sea. The plain contained 
many villages before us and upon the right. We soon 
passed the country palace of the Pacha, surrounded by 
oranges, pomegranates, and cypresses. Beyond this, 
we were opposite the hundred arches of the Akka 
aqueduct. Wherever this aqueduct crosses a hollow, 
it is supported on weed-grown arches of picturesque 
effect ; near the town it passes almost on a level with 
the ground, and, instead of the roads being built over 
it, it is strangely elevated above the roads by an arch, 



PASS OF NAKOURA. 



325 



under which the passing traveller receives a copious 
shower-bath from the numerous leaks. These arches, 
seen at various points on the plain, have a very pecu- 
liar appearance. 

We continued along the sea, though not upon the 
beach, over several dry beds of streams. Three hours 
north of Akka, Ez-Zib (the Achzib of Scripture) re- 
sembled an Egyptian village with its palm trees. An 
hour beyond this we reached the bold promontory of 
Nakoura, (pronounced Na Va), the village of El- 
Buss ah, beautifully embosomed in olives, lying at its 
foot, upon our right. A regular pass conducted over 
the high rocky promontory which bounds the plain of 
Akka on the north. As we ascended, we had a fine 
view of the extensive plain we had left, and the fortress 
of Akka formidable in the distance. At the summit 
of the pass was a small ruined fort. The declivities 
about us were covered with green shrubs and bushes, 
but the rock permitted no cultivation. Before us 
appeared Tyre, fifteen miles away, jutting out into the 
sea, and far beyond rose the snow-clad heights of 
Lebanon, while the vast expanse of the Mediterranean 
stretched out limitless upon our left. With such a 
grand prospect before our eyes, we descended the 
north side of the promontory, and reached the village, 
khan, and fort of Nakoura, having been an hour and a 
quarter in passing the Cape. Two noble cedars spread 
their foliage near the Khan, and drew us willingly be 
beneath their shade ; a running stream furnished our 
beverage, and we rested in this delicious spot for a 
half hour, reluctant to leave its attractions. 

Twenty minutes further north, we discovered some 
columns on a hill some distance to the right. Turning 
our horses' heads thitherward, we galloped over the 
plain, and up the steep acclivity to the site. Among 
22 



326 



ISCAXDEROOX. 



entangled bushes one column stood erect and complete, 
another broken at the middle, while multitudes of others 
lay prostrate, scattered over an area of half a mile in 
extent. They were of late Roman date, but on no map 
is this site denoted, and since arriving at home, I have 
been wholly unable to identify the ruins with any 
ancient town. The only notice I have seen of the 
spot, besides our own, is a drawing of the ruins by 
Cassas, shedding however no light on their history. 

Another small promontory was passed, by a road 
evidently of old Roman date, formed with the same 
sort of large stone as are seen in the Via Appia, and 
other Roman roads in Italy. Beyond this a quarter of 
an hour, were the slender remains of Alexandroschense, 
now bearing the name of Iscanderoon. Here a copious 
supply of water bursts out, in two full jets, from be- 
neath a Saracenic arch, and runs down a fine stream 
into the sea. Another quarter of an hour brought us 
to the celebrated Ras-el-Abiad, or Promontorium 
Album, a high headland, which, on the northern side, 
exposes a precipitous wall of chalk, whence its name 
is derived. This we crossed by a rock-worn and rock- 
hewn pathway, said to be the work of Alexander the 
Great. It is the Scalae Tyriorum of antiquity. In 
many places, the path overhangs the sea, to the terror 
of weak nerves ; and on the northern side of the pro- 
montory, the steps are cut out regularly from the white 
rock, while a natural parapet remains on the outer 
side, as a bulwark for the traveller. The precipitous 
cliffs above and below, and the surf dashing against 
them, rendered this pass wild and picturesque in the 
highest degree. We were twenty minutes in reaching 
the beach beyond, and twenty minutes more brought 
us to the ruins of Sheberieh, an unimportant fragment- 
ary collection of modern remains. Near by, and close 



RAS-EL-AIN. 



327 



to the sea, was a fine old well, approached by descend- 
ing steps, by the side of which I noticed an old marble 
well-curb, grooved by the friction of ropes. In another 
twenty minutes the ruins of a massive bridge over a 
wady appeared upon our left. From this point we 
looked back on the apparently formidable castle of 
Shemmon, prominently situated on the summit of Ras- 
el-Abiad, back from the sea. Observing what appear- 
ed to be ruins a half mile to the right of the road, I 
galloped over to them, and found immense stones, 
resembling those in Stonehenge, though smaller, 
morticed for some purpose, which baffled my conjec- 
tures. They probably were relics of Palea Tyrus, the 
old Tyre of Nebuchadnezzar's demolition. 

We now arrived at Ras-el-Ain, where were four 
reservoirs of solid masonry, and three dripping aque- 
ducts, the latter Saracenic, with one Roman exception. 
Of course, there was a grateful foliage around, that 
yielded a welcome resting place. This site is, with 
great probability, supposed to have been included in 
Old Tyre. Quitting this pleasant spot, we left the 
prominent rocky hill of Ma'shuk upon the east, turned 
westward, along the sandy isthmus, and entered the 
gate of New Tyre at six o'clock in the evening. A 
young Syrian met us in the street, and addressed us in 
French, inviting us to his house. We followed him 
through the forlorn lanes of the wretched town, and 
reached his house upon the brink of the sea, where we 
could have the very best prospect of the ignominious 
state of that once mighty capital, whose merchants 
were princes. The rooms were tolerably comfortable, 
but the entrance to the house was by a dark and dirty 
cellar-like passage and yard. The young man intro- 
duced us to his father and stepmother, the former a 
venerable old Greek Christian, and the latter a bloom- 



328 



TYRE. 



ing young woman, with an infant attache. She wore 
the usual costume of the Tyrians, which exposes 
rather more of the bosom than Frank propriety would 
allow. With her child in her arms, and mounted on 
high wooden pattens, she busied herself strenuously in 
preparing our accommodations. Our young guide was 
the only one in the family, or (according to his own 
account) even in the town, who could speak French. 
He was therefore in general demand by the native con- 
sular agents, and by all the travellers who stopped at 
Tyre. He proved very obliging and efficient, and 
would have made our stay at Tyre one of unalloyed 
pleasure, if the fleas had permitted him. His father 
represented himself as in slender circumstances, and 
designed to undertake a journey to Egypt soon, in 
order to repair his finances. The interpreter son was 
to remain with his " belle-mere," and keep the house 
of entertainment for Frank pilgrims, such as we were. 
He gave us his name as " Michel Farrah." 

In Tyre there is but little to see, and that little is of 
melancholy interest. The modern town only partially 
covers the " Island," or extremity of the Peninsula, 
leaving on the west and south a large space of fine 
pasture-land between the houses and the sea. At the 
north are the remains of an artificial harbour, nearly 
enclosed by a wall, a little port, and well filled with 
sand ; beyond this were several small fishing-craft, 
eight or ten schooners, and one good sized ship, a 
better representation than at Akka, but yet what a 
fleet for the proud city, in whose harbour were once 
" all the ships of the sea, with their mariners !"* The 
people of the town were cheerful and unreserved in 
their manner towards us, having been more conversant 
with Franks than had been the inhabitants of Lower 



* Ezekiel xxvii. 9, 




3 



RUINS OF TYRE. 



329 



Palestine. The bazaars had a ragged, picturesque ap- 
pearance, suggestive of a decline in Tyrian trade. 
North and west of the town are very many prostrate 
columns upon the low flat rocks, over which we walked, 
though the sea often covers them. They were plain, 
but massive. I searched in vain for a fluted pillar or 
an ornamented capital. From the summit of a ruined 
light-house we obtained a good view of the desolation 
that has passed upon this mistress of the seas, and 
yielded our minds to the natural reflections upon so 
sad a scene. At the south-east corner of the town we 
found the fragments of the cathedral, a noble relic of 
Christian architecture, resembling the wrecked hull of 
a fine vessel with barnacles clinging to its sides, for, 
both within and without, the huts of the town are fas- 
tened to its walls, and greatly hinder a correct idea 
of the original structure. The ruin was somewhat 
like that of the church in Samaria. The large round 
end of the nave still stood, the most conspicuous por- 
tion of the building, and the form of the cross was 
clearly discernible. Some immense prostrate columns 
of red granite, in one of which we found a single block 
of twenty-eight feet in length, attracted our notice 
among the numerous hovels. 

Such is the modern Tyre ; for an idea of its ancient 
splendour, it is only necessary to read the 27th chap- 
ter of Ezekiel, where the most brilliant picture of 
earthly prosperity ever drawn forms the contrast to 
the above description of Tyre's abject condition as 
now beheld. 

The next morning we received a kind farewell from 
our host and his family. In passing through the bazaar, 
we noticed snow exposed for sale, but it was sadly 
spoiled, and could scarcely be supposed an article used 
in figure as the emblem of purity. It had been brought 



330 



THE COAST. 



from the mountains of Lebanon, on whose summits we 
could see happier specimens of the injured element. 
The day was very hot until the sea-breeze rose. Each 
day that we were on this coast, we found the sea- 
breeze commenced about ten in the morning, without 
w^hich the ride would have been intolerable. 

Leaving Tyre, and the few palm trees that lend a 
beauty to its sadness, we passed over the sandy isth- 
mus and renewed our journey northward. The plain 
is smaller and less flat than that of Akka, but, for those 
reasons, and the fact of Lebanon's proximity, is more 
picturesque and agreeable to the traveller. We crossed 
the Leontes, (the modern Kasimiyeh,) a fine full stream, 
by a noble bridge of a single arch. At its southern ex- 
tremity, above the bank, is the partially ruined Khan el 
Kasimiyeh. A multitude of sheep and goats (for in 
Syria the flocks are always intermingled) were drinking 
at the stream, which was the largest and swiftest we 
had seen in Palestine, excepting the Jordan. Passing a 
ruined bridge upon our left, over a dry water-course, 
we reached, in one hour and three-quarters from the 
Leontes, the supposed site of " the City of Birds," the 
Ornithonpolis, which Strabo mentions as " a little 
city (™x»x v 'o v ) between Sidon and Tyre." Here the low 
rocky cliff on the right was penetrated by numerous 
tombs. Beyond this we bathed in the sea, and sought 
out a pleasant spot, beneath some mulberries, by the 
side of a running brook, for our noon repast. An hour 
further, Sidon came in sight, in situation much resem- 
bling Tyre, though possessed of a more imposing 
appearance and a greater beauty. The ugly village of 
Sarafend crowned a hill on our right, opposite which, 
between us and the sea, were the almost untraceable 
remains of Sarepta or Zarephath, where Elijah raised 



ZAREPHATH. 



331 



to life the widow's son * A little mosque is now erected 
over the spot that tradition marks as the site of the 
widow's house. We soon after reached the beautiful 
fountain of Kanterah, with its little pool, its fir trees, 
its gardens of mulberries, and a mammoth oak, — one 
of those exquisite little retreats from town and sun 
which so dot the traveller's course in Syria with pecu- 
culiar charms. Then came successively a brook lined 
with oleanders, and boasting a ruined bridge ; a sorry 
looking Khan ; the little river Zaherany, with its bridge 
severed as by an earthquake ; and a broad torrent-bed, 
of winter importance. The village of El-Ghazieh was 
very prominent on the hill-side at our right. By the 
side of the road lay prostrate a plain granite column, 
with this inscription, which I copied, as others had 
done before me : 

IMPERATORES 
CAES ARES 
L. SEPTIMITIS SE 
VER US-PIUS PER 
TINAX,-AUG : - A R A 
BICUS AD + + + + 
PARTHICUS MAXI 
MUS TRIBUNIC + + P. 

OTES VII IMP. XI Cos. 

Passing numerous gardens, and under a beautiful her- 
ceau of trees, we entered Sidon at forty minutes after 
four, in seven hours and forty minutes (travelling time) 
from Tyre. At the entrance of the town is a Moslem 
cemetery, the first we had seen beneath a grove. 
Women in white were moving like spirits among the 
tombs, and could be easily fancied the ghosts of the 
dead that lay below the sod. Sidon is finely situated 
on a hill projecting into the sea, and is fortified on the 
land side by a high wall,f through which we entered by 



* 1 Kings xvii. 9-24. 

| On this wall are built very high houses, the only lofty dwellings we had 
seen in the East. 



332 



SIDON. 



the gate, and, passing through the attractive bazaars, 
reached the Khan el Frangee, a large quadrangular 
building, enclosing a fine open court, in the centre of 
which was a pool of water, surrounded by trees and 
overhung with vines. A small part of this Khan (as 
is the case with that of Akka) is used as a convent, 
and there we applied for admission ; but a rude monk 
gruffly told us he expected a bishop that evening to 
arrive, and occupy all the rooms they could spare, and 
we must hunt elsewhere for our lodging. Thus re- 
buffed, we found plenty of offers from the holders of 
rooms along the corridor of the Khan, and were soon 
comfortably fixed in a small suite of apartments. A 
number of fine looking, intelligent, and well dressed 
boys were playing about the corridor, who attracted 
our attention. Finding they could talk French, I en- 
tered into conversation with the youngsters, and found 
they were the sons of Sidonian gentlemen, and mem- 
bers of a school in the Khan, whose teacher was a 
Frenchman. This was the dawning to us of a higher 
state of civilization in our route. The whole appear- 
ance of Sidon formed an epoch in our journey. We 
suddenly lost sight of the lazy, dilapidated Orient, in 
the life and bustle of a large and busy town, as is Sidon, 
and saw in its inhabitants a tone of rank and intelli- 
gence that we had not witnessed since leaving Cairo. 
We felt for the moment that we had exchanged Syria 
for France, for both European dress and manners now 
greeted our eyes, so long accustomed to the robes and 
sedateness of the Shemitic races. True, the Khan 
was the principal seat of this Frankish semblance, yet 
even in the remote corners of the town there could be 
seen a different spirit at work than in Hebron, Jerusa- 
lem, Nablous, or any of the towns of Syria we had pre- 
viously visited. 



SIDON. 



333 



The harbour of Sidon is in as bad case as that of its 
sister Tyre ; if one of the old Sidonian or Tyrian 
fleets should return to its native port, it would find a 
sorry welcome, for sand and rubbish have effectually 
established themselves as exclusive tenants of the greater 
part of these famous harbours. Enough room, how- 
ever, was left in that of Sidon to allow a few fishing 
boats to anchor within the ruined walls, as a burlesque 
on " Great Sidon." In the harbour is a fortress of the 
crusade period, built on a rock, and connected with the 
town by a bridge of nine arches. On the south side 
of Sidon, the hill on which it is built exhibits a green 
declivity down to the sea-beach, adding greatly to the 
view of the town taken from the Tyre road. 

The summit of our khan was a delightful promenade, 
commanding a fine view of the entire vicinity. East- 
ward from Sidon were the beautiful mountains of South- 
ern Lebanon, and between them and the town groves 
and gardens added a remarkable loveliness to the scene. 
Northward, southward, and eastward, was the Great 
Sea — the classic sea of Poetry and History, yielding to 
our ears the same murmur that had stirred the souls of 
David and of Homer. When night arrived, and moon- 
light bathed every object in its peculiar charms, the 
scene was as a vision — the enchantments of dream-land 
seemed to surround us, for there was an unearthly soft- 
ness and purity in the moonlit landscape. 

Hearing there was an American Consul in Sidon, and 
hoping to find a like character with our kind Akka 
friend, I started in pursuit. Following several crooked 
lanes, I came to the house pointed out as the consulate, 
and knocked at the inner door of the divan. I heard 
a hurried scrambling and confusion ensue within, as of 
rats disturbed in their festival, and thereupon made bold 
to enter. Here was a fine scene for an American con- 



* 



334 



LEAVE SIDON. 



sulate. A crowd of servants occupied the divan-hall, 
evidently met in blissful saturnalia, thankfully to com- 
memorate their master's absence. Not knowing the 
rank that the Sidonian representative of the American 
government might hold in his native town, I imagined 
at first that he might be an individual member of this 
merry-making company, and accordingly inquired of 
one of the worthies, if he or any of his companions in 
enjoyment were the American Consul. This seemed 
to put them all into renewed glee, and I left them to 
continue their fun undisturbed by outside barbarians. 
I suspect the servant, or servants, of the absent Consul 
had seized the favourable opportunity to collect all the 
domestics of Sidon in the master's hall, not anticipating 
such an ill-timed official visit as ours. My search after 
Mr. Carr, our minister at Constantinople, who was re- 
ported to be in Sidon, was attended with a like success 
as my consular hunt. I afterwards found him in Beirut. 

The next morning we left Sidon before eight o'clock. 
Winding along its narrow streets, looking at the pre- 
sent representatives of the skilful artists (2rfove s *oXu5ai'5aXo» 
of Homer) of the ancient city, and issuing by the town- 
gate, we passed northward, along the beach, striking 
a short distance easterly to cross the Nahr el Auly, a 
fine stream that comes down from Lebanon. Ford- 
ing this, near the old stone bridge of the famous Fakhr 
ed Din, four of us left the remainder of the party, and 
hurried onward to Beirut. The mountains of Lebanon 
grew loftier and more grandly picturesque, and the sea- 
plain was reduced to a mere beach, and even that at 
times was crossed by a projecting headland. The 
road was either rocky or sandy the whole distance to 
Beirut, and scarce a furlong would permit a gallop. 
On the promontory of Jajunieh, we had our last look 
at the beauties of Sidon behind us, and further on, we 



THE T AM YEAS. 



335 



passed over the remains of an old Roman road. Coves 
of large extent succeeded one another along our course. 
These we crossed upon the curved beach, and then 
would come the boundary promontories, which present- 
ed a mile or two of rocky path. Such was the charac- 
ter of the road until we crossed the peninsula of 
Beirut. In the centre of one of these coves is the 
Wely Neby Yunas, with its little white dome marking 
the spot where Jonah and the whale parted company, 
and near it is a khan, also bearing the name of the 
prophet. This is supposed by Pococke and Dr. Robin- 
son to be the site of Porphyreon. We should also find 
the site of the Leontonpolis of Strabo in this neighbour- 
hood. Still further north, we crossed the fine river 
Damur, evidently the ancient Tamyras or Damouras ; 
the stream was lined with oleanders, and northward 
stretched away miles of beautiful groves of mulberry, 
which suggested the position of Strabo's JEsculapian 
Grove ('acxXtkiou aXoV). The valleys and defiles running 
down from Lebanon presented scenes of a decided 
Swiss character, and formed a continual feast of de- 
light to the eye. We passed several khans, all of them 
as if made in the same mould, low square structures, 
inviting only because of the cool water we knew could 
be found within. Near one of these khans (el Khulda) 
are quantities of sarcophagi strewed upon the ground, 
but no ruins appear. Probably, in ancient times, an 
undertaker had his manufactory on this spot. The 
empty coffins were not bad emblems of the poor 
fellow's resurrection, each one serving in this place of 
his occupation as good purpose as the " Resurgam" of 
the hatchments. 

The Cape of Beirut is about seven miles wide at its 
neck, where we crossed, and is almost wholly com- 
posed of hills and hollows of red sand. East of our 



336 



ARRIVAL AT BEIRUT. 



route, between us and the mountains, extended for 
miles the immense olive groves of Beirut, the largest in 
Syria, and probably in the world. Among these trees, 
and all over the sides of the mountains, perched like 
pigeons on the ledges of a house, were the villages of 
this populous region. Near Beirut we came among 
villas, a strange sight in the East, where the habita- 
tions of the land are generally clustered in towns and 
villages. Here, and at Sidon, were the only country 
villas seen hitherto on our entire route. The road 
now became narrow, between high hedges of prickly 
pear, and intersected by cross roads of the same nature, 
that led to the numberless villages in the neighbour- 
hood. We rode for miles through these ways, doubt- 
ing if Beirut would ever appear, till at last our perse- 
verance was rewarded by the sight of the sea at the 
north of the cape, and a view of the neat dwellings of 
the town. We reached Beirut in 7| hours from 
Sidon, but the rest of the party arrived three hours 
after us. 



f ehaitntt . 



BEIRUT— EXCURSION TO BALBEK— THE GOODLY MOUNTAIN— 
ZAHLEH-BALBEK, AND ITS VAST RUINS— RETURN TO BEIRUT. 

Beirut is beautifully situated on the northern slope 
of the cape, and almost surrounded by gardens, groves, 
and orchards, of richest verdure. The sea washes the 
foot of the town, and a few rent fortifications remain 
to testify to the bombardment. We found good quarters 
upon the quay, in the inn that bears the high sounding- 
title of " Hotel d'Europe," and from the balcony en- 
joyed a grand view of the magnificent towering 
Lebanon, rising majestically from the very brink of the 
sparkling sea. On the morrow we exchanged visits 
with several residents and fellow-travellers, and were 
assailed by numbers of salesmen proffering articles of 
Druse manufacture. 

We discovered that the steamer for Smyrna sailed 
on the following Wednesday, and this was Friday, so 
that our projected trip to Damascus was out of the 
question. But Baalbec was only two days off*, and 
there we determined to go. Peparations were made 
to start that day, and we had mounted our horses be- 
fore the hotel, when the rascally chief Muggry who 
had brought us from Jerusalem seized my horse's rein, 
and effectually stopped my progress. I had reduced 



338 



THE MUGGRIES AGAIN. 



his pay, owing to his failure to comply with several 
requisitions of our contract, and he was now deter- 
mined on revenge. In vain I attempted to push him 
off or pull him along with the horse. I struck his tur- 
ban from his head, but he still held on. I then leaped 
from the horse, and administered some striking reme- 
dies. He removed his hands, but before I had re- 
mounted he was again fast. This never would do. 
Time was passing, and we were losing our only chance 
of Baalbec. I sprang from the horse again, and or- 
dered the scamp to follow me to the Pacha. A troop 
of Arabs accompanied us, and I found myself at the 
head of a procession composed of all the loafers of 
Beirut. Arrived at the palace, a forlorn building of 
considerable pretension to style, we found the divan 
occupied by some underling, to whom I stated the 
case. The Muggry then gave his emended version, 
and the Sub-Pacha thereupon most blandly requested 
me to give up my scruples and pay the full price. This 
sort of judicial lop-sidedness, though exceedingly orien- 
tal, was extremely offensive, and I stoutly refused his 
demand. Finding I was not easily overcome by his 
speech, he sent a messenger to the Pacha, stating that 
he had a hard case before him in the shape of an 
American infidel, and desired His Excellency's will on 
the subject. His Excellency's will suited me exactly, 
as it referred the whole case to Mr. Chasseaud, the 
American Consul, and left the matter to Mr. C.'s deci- 
sion. So the procession formed again, and off we 
marched to the consulate. Mr. Carr, the American 
Minister, and Mr. Porter, the Consul at Constantino- 
ple, were both present at the important trial, which 
resulted in the Muggry 's occupation of a room in the 
prison for that night, with the privilege of having his 
feet supported in a board admirably adapted to them. 



FEVER AND AGUE. 



339 



All this had detained us for two hours, so that the day 
was fast waning, when we at length sallied out of 
Beirut. We had gone but a short distance beyond the 
gate when we discovered that our guide knew nothing 
of the way. Here was another delay while we sent 
him back and waited for a substitute. By 4± P. M. 
we were fairly off and passing through the paths lined 
with hedges of prickly pear. The fragrance of the 
jessamine perfumed the air, and the landscape was one 
of unrivalled beauty. On all sides we heard the buz- 
zing sound of the innumerable silk wheels in operation, 
and we saw, half hid among the mulberries, the neat little 
houses where the process was conducted. After cross- 
ing the extensive plain, and mounting a short distance 
up the foot of the immense range of Lebanon, I felt my 
old fever and ague returning — the chills creeping over 
me more and more perceptibly, until, though my horse 
was walking, I shook with all the effectiveness of a 
brisk trot. I could not think of returning, for that 
would have forever shut Baalbec from my eyes, and 
therefore I shook myself on, in rather bad case to en- 
joy the remarkable scenery about me. The horses 
mounted the steep path with the facility of cats. In 
passing a rude khan, I was sorely tempted to stop, 
and even wheeled my horse to return to Beirut ; but I 
checked the intention, and pushed on. The view at 
every step increased in interest. We looked down 
over the sandy promontory of Beirut upon the sea 
glowing in the rays of sunset. Beirut itself, with its 
shipping, lay upon the right ; west and south of the 
town the country was studded with villas, and nearer 
to our position spread the vast plain of olives, while 
the mighty Lebanon itself, in its lovely valleys and 
terraced declivities, clothed in fairest green, and glit- 
tering with a hundred villages, gave the highest glory 



340 



KHAN ON LEBANON. 



to the view. At 7± another khan was reached, and 
here we inquired the distance to the next. " An hour 
and a half," was the reply. I summoned all my energies, 
and still cried " onward." Darkness now came on, 
concealing the heights and dells, the cliffs and gorges 
from view, and rendering us uncertain of the path. 
We were compelled to dismount and lead our horses 
over the wretched stony road. My chills had been 
succeeded by fever, and I nearly fainted with fatigue 
as we toiled up the dark and rocky pass. The hour 
and a half seemed interminable, and my despondency 
was verging on despair, when a light was seen before 
us, close at hand, and we arrived at the doorway of 
Khan el Hussein, nearly five hours from Beirut. We 
entered a little stall-like room behind the porch, and, 
after spreading some matting over the ground (which 
is the sole floor of a khan) I quickly prostrated myself 
in feverish exhaustion. The gaunt stone walls of the 
forlorn building afforded poor accommodation for an 
invalid, yet, after pouring down my throat a large bowl 
of strong coffee, and wrapping myself in my blanket, I 
fell asleep and slept soundly until morning, when, to 
my agreeable surprise, chills and fever had both for- 
saken me, and I was ready for the continuance of the 
journey. 

At a quarter of five we set off and ascended 
among tracts less green and more wild, but command- 
ing views of astonishing grandeur and beauty, that 
fully justified the noble mention repeatedly made of 
this lofty range in the pages of Scripture. " That 
goodly mountain Lebanon " was the object of desire to 
the aged Moses ; both Solomon and Hosea refer to 
the sweet "smell of Lebanon,"* arising from its 



* Sol. Song iii. 11 ; Hosea xiv. 6. 



THE SUMMIT uF LEBANON. 



341 



flowers ; Isaiah represents the rich foliage of the 
mountain as " the glory of Lebanon,"* and David often 
referred to this unrivalled range in his lyrical compo- 
sitions. Nor can any one look upon these glorious 
mountains, abounding in all the essentials of the sub- 
lime and beautiful, without echoing in ecstacy the 
epithets of the Hebrew penman. Certainly no moun- 
tains that I have ever seen can vie with these Syrian 
heights. In form, colour, and magnitude, they are per- 
fect, these three elements so harmoniously combining 
as to leave no room for improvement in their united 
effect. 

We reached the summit at a quarter past eight 
o'clock, three hours and a half from the khan. This 
makes the distance from Beirut eight and a half hours 
of travel, and the ascent of the mountain about six and 
three quarter hours, or sixteen miles, The air was 
fresh and invigorating ; wreaths of mist encircled the 
various peaks and projections of the mountain, and lay 
in the hollows like little lakes, but the view of the sea 
and magnificent slopes of Lebanon was unobstructed 
and unspeakably grand. On every hand we could see 
the picturesque villages sitting on apparently inacces- 
sible heights, whose very situation must give their in- 
habitants a poetical cast of mind. 

Abandoning this gorgeous panorama, we crossed the 
summit, amid higher peaks, and where vegetation was 
but slight. Then the south part of Coele-Syria (El- 
Bekaa) was spread out as a carpeted floor before and 
below us.t Anti-Lebanon formed its eastern wall, 
among whose noble heights Hermon lifted his snowy 
head pre-eminent. The scene was grand, yet totally 

* Isaiah lx. 13. 

•{■ Strabo is rather out in his ealcutations when he puts the Jordan and the 
Lake of Gennesaret in Coele Syria. L. 1,6, cap. 2. 

23 



342 



ZAHLEH. 



different from that we had gazed upon at the western 
side of the range. There was no endless sea here, 
no frequent villages studded the mountain-side, and 
the valley was far less deep than was the Mediterra- 
nean coast ; but we had a mighty ridge of mountains 
rising before us, and a plain of surpassing beauty at 
our feet. 

The projecting mountains at the north hid Baalbec 
from our view, which was still distant at least twenty- 
seven miles. The mountain is so much steeper, and 
its height from the plain so much less on this side, that 
we had completed the descent in one hour and a half 
from the summit, leaving the little ruined village of 
Mekseh among the crags on our right. Continuing 
along the foot of the range, and around the hills that 
form its outworks, we reached the large and flourish- 
ing village or town of Zahleh at 11 o'clock. This was 
the finest village we had seen in the East. The houses 
were well built of crude brick, whitewashed in front, 
and set each separate from the other, — an instance en- 
tirely unique in Syria, as far as our knowledge extend- 
ed. Everything betokened thrift and industry, and it 
is almost useless to state that the inhabitants are 
<Greek Christians. Turn out the Christians, and fill 
the place with Mussulmans, and Zahleh would soon find 
m level with Jenin, Sefurieh, and the other hovel col- 
lections of Palestine. 

Beautiful groves of poplars and willows surround 
this interesting town, through which we rode a quarter 
of an hour before we reached its northern circuit. A 
gay wedding procession was passing along the road — 
men on fine horses practising all the equestrian pranks 
conceivable, and shouting in unchecked mirth. They 
saluted us, and challenged us to a race, but our nags 
were in poor condition for any such operation, and we 



COELE SYRIA. 



343 



let the Zahlehites seek for other competitors. Just 
beyond the town was a full flowing brook, and by its 
border grew an inviting tree. We could not resist, but 
alighted and rested in the welcome shade, to indulge in 
our noonday meal. An extensive apple orchard grew 
beside us, the kind old proprietor of which immediately 
brought us an offering of the tempting fruit. He joined 
our party, and chatted with us pleasantly during our 
stay. He added to our delightful impressions of Zah- 
ley, a place we shall never forget for its beauty, thrift, 
and friendly population. 

An hour beyond Zahleh, we caught sight of Baalbec 
— then it disappeared from view, and again, at three 
o'clock, it re-appeared permanently. It seemed a large 
village, or town, with a high scaffolding, supporting a 
watch-tower, as its most conspicuous item. This, on 
closer approach, we found to be the gigantic columns 
of the great temple. The plain seemed interminable 
as we galloped on towards tho deceitful town, which 
appeared to defy a close proximity. Crossing the head 
waters of the Leontes, we at length put- our horses to 
full run, and stayed not till we dashed among the huts 
of Baalbec, throwing the entire community into trepi- 
dation and alarm. We had passed an old ruin a mile 
or two from the town, but were too hurried to regard 
it, and we now sped past the mammoth remains of the 
ancient Heliopolis, with barbarian indifference to the 
wrecks of magnificence that were there existing. The 
truth was, we had been riding twelve hours, excepting 
our stoppage at Zahleh of three-quarters of an hour, 
and were both wearied and hungry. If Balbek had 
invited Thebes and Palmyra to assist in our reception, 
we would have equally slighted the trio, and sought, as 
we now did, the locanda and its kitchen. Alas ! we 
found the locanda had no existence, at least in that 



344 



COELE SYRIA. 



capacity, for the Italian adventurers who had boldly 
erected a hostel in the shadow of the Temple of the 
Sun, had, as was to have been anticipated, not suc- 
ceeded in keeping a crowded house, and therefore had 
sold out their building (decidedly the best in Balbek) 
to a Syrian gentleman, while the unsuccessful specula- 
tors had wandered elsewhere on the world's wide sur- 
face, to seek a better investment of their capital. The 
Syrian, however, kindly received us, and gave us beds 
in a comfortable room, w here gaudy pictures of Leonora 
and Beatrice hung as mementoes of its former possess- 
ors. The house was built solidly, and with consider- 
able taste, and had a little shaded courtyard before it, 
where coursed a fine stream of water between banks of 
stone, all showing that the establishment had been 
started on an extensive plan — and witnessing, more- 
over, the extreme folly of the attempt to make a Chel- 
tenham or Saratoga in the remote vale of Coele-Syria. 

Our host, though he furnished us with room and 
bedding, apologized for his inability to provide the still 
greater necessaries of life, stating that he was a bache- 
lor, and therefore had no kitchen, but trusted, I suppose, 
to the liberality of his neighbours. This was exceed- 
ingly bad news to us, for so certain were we, when we 
left Beirut, of the existence of a loconda at Balbek, that 
we had come unprovided with either pantry or kitchen. 
Yunas and Haleefy, our two Fridays, were immediately 
despatched to seek material for a repast, and after an 
uncommonly long absence, they returned with one 
chicken and an armful of Balbek bread, the circular 
loaves of which have the disproportioned dimensions 
of eighteen inches in diameter, and a quarter of an inch 
in thickness. This was all the provision Balbek could 
make for our fierce appetites. We devoured the old 
hen (for such it was) half cooked, and finished our 



BALBEK. 



345 



meal of compulsory frugality with sundry square-yards 
of the blanket-like bread, washing all down with copious 
draughts of coffee, the only actual enjoyment in the 
entire feast. 

Balbek is a straggling ugly village, situated in an 
alcove of Anti Lebanon, on the side of the great plain 
of Coele-Syria, and only interesting for its antiquities, 
unless we except a beautiful sward, shaded by magnifi- 
cent walnuts, and watered by delicious streams, which 
lies behind the town against the mountain, and bears 
the name of Ran el-Ain, or the " fountain-head." This 
is the source of the Leontes, whose mouth we had seen 
near Tyre, some seventy miles distant. On the green 
grass of this place the inhabitants of Balbek collect and 
lounge, enjoying life in that listless laziness character- 
istic of oriental taste. South of this spot is a hill, or 
spur of the mountain, on which, beside the ruins of 
Saracen walls, are seen a little quarry of undoubted 
antiquity, the ruins of a large monumental column, and 
a finely carved block, formerly connected either with 
the column or some neighbouring building. Moreover, 
within the quarry are some carved stones, which the 
workmen had wrought upon in their original position, 
from which they had never been removed. A larger 
quarry (the most important quarry near Balbek) is 
south of this a considerable distance, where one im- 
mense block of seventy feet in length and fourteen feet 
in breadth and thickness, lies where it was originally 
hewn. Some distance west of Balbek, on the plain, is 
a mound, containing a third quarry, but in which we 
found nothing of great interest. Several miles north 
rises a Corinthian monumental column, which we only 
viewed in the distance. 

The great ruins of Balbek lie just westward of the 
town, and compose a vast area of magnificent remains 



346 



TEMPLE OF THE WINDS. 



of art and masses of undistinguishable rubbish. Be- 
tween these and the town, almost among the houses, is 
the beautiful little Corinthian " Temple of the Winds." 
This is a circular edifice, of thirty-two feet in diame- 
ter, and surrounded by eight columns, which support 
projections of the cornice, or, I should say, did sup- 
port, for four only are now standing upon the east side, 
the western portion of the building being very greatly 
ruined. This little temple is an exquisite gem of art, 
and perhaps as it appears now, overhung with usurping 
verdure, it wears a greater beauty than in its days of 
pristine glory. Behind each column is a Corinthian 
pilaster against the circular body of the edifice, from 
capital to capital of which hang sculptured garlands, 
and beneath these are ornamental niches with vacant 
pedestals. On the north-west side are the remains of 
the huge doorway. The two door-posts are standing, 
each about twenty feet in height, and five feet in 
breadth and thickness. All the stones of the temple 
are about three or four feet square, their large size 
rendering the building apparently smaller than the 
reality. A dome formerly covered its now roofless 
area. Leaving this interesting introduction to ruined 
Balbek, we cross several fields, and reach the Great 
cluster. 

Of this it is utterly impossible to convey a correct 
idea by description. Imagine a vast raised area of 
nearly a thousand feet in length, with a width varying 
from one hundred and fifty to four hundred feet. On 
one extremity of this area is a gigantic temple of two 
hundred and eighty-five by one hundred and fifty-seven 
feet, and the rest is occupied by enclosed courts and 
approaches to the magnificent fane. Underneath all 
are immense vaults supporting the entire mass. At- 
tached to the east side of this extensive pile is a 



THE GREAT TEMPLE GROUP. 



347 



smaller raised area and temple ; its remains are more 
complete than those of the other ; and if it had not 
its greater neighbour as a rival, it would be called a 
mighty structure, its two dimensions being two hun- 
dred and twenty-two and one hundred and fourteen feet. 
Never having seen a ground plan of the temples of 
Balbek, from which I might copy, I shall have the pre- 
sumption to place before my readers a general sketch 
of their outline, as rude as a child's delineation of a 
horse that requires the name to be underwritten, yet suf- 
ficiently correct to give an approximate idea of the 
matter. I beg the good reader not to quote my plan 
for authority, as my eyes were all the theodolite I pos- 
sessed, and my guessing power had to serve for a 
measuring tape. 





• ■ f==5 ; 






HI 


: 3 


2 


1 


A 










lJ 



A. Grand Entrance. 

1. Hexagon Court. 

2. Grand Court. 

3. Grand Temple. 

4. Small Temple Court. 

5. Small Temple. 

The hexagonal court of the Great Temple shows 
marks of great architectural beauty in itself and the 
chambers around it. Leaving this, you enter the 
mighty area immediately before the temple ; when the 



348 



THE VAST RUINS. 



building stood complete (if it ever did), the coup d'oeii 
from this point must have been one of the most mag- 
nificent architectural feasts ever enjoyed. But alas ! 
now only six columns of the temple remain standing, 
supporting the shattered architrave, yet these remain- 
ing pillars are nearly seventy feet in height. What 
must have been the imposing effect of fifty-six such 
columns ! Large alcoves, as it were chapels, are 
built around the grand court, and these are orna- 
mented with niches. In the side of the raised area, 
at the west end of the temple, are seen three huge 
blocks of stone, each sixty-three feet in length, and of 
proportioned width and thickness. From these stones, 
which are evidently out of place, and those in the 
quarry unremoved, it is reasonably supposed that this 
vast structure was never completed. 

But the side temple has been complete, and even now 
is well preserved. It originally had eight columns on the 
west end, and thirteen along either side. Of these, three 
columns remain standing with a portion of the archi- 
trave on the west, nine remain on the north side, and 
five on the south. These columns are Corinthian and 
not fluted, and support a portico carved most skilfully 
and exquisitely upon the under side, with arabesque 
work and heads interspersed. Much of this roof had 
fallen, and we could closely examine its beauties. One 
stone in the south wall we found to be twenty-eight 
feet in length. At the east are two fluted Corinthian 
columns, with architrave at the soma side of the great 
entrance ; only a fragment of one of the corres- 
ponding two north of the entrance is visible. There 
are no traces of any other fluted columns. An ugly 
Saracen wall has been built up before the front of the 
edifice, under which we crept by a small aperture, and 
entered the little space intervening between the front 



THE VAST RUINS. 



349 



and this wall. Here is the large doorway, elaborately 
carved; the huge stone of its lintel has partially fallen, 
and seems ready to crush the visiter as he enters. On 
the suffit of this stone is sculptured an eagle and thun- 
derbolts. Entering the temple, now roofless, seven 
Corinthian fluted half columns are seen against either 
side wall, with two rows of ornamented niches inter- 
spersed, the lower row arched and the upper pointed. 
Beyond these, at the west end, are traces of an en- 
closed sanctum, and here are three pilasters on either 
side, in lieu of the half columns. The west end 
exhibits a plain wall, excepting two pilasters, one near 
either side wall. The nave of the temple has been 
divided from its aisles, and probably was hypaethral, 
the aisles and sanctum only being roofed. A square 
turning staircase ascends on either side the entrance 
to the top of the edifice. The doorways of these 
staircases are now probably buried in the rubbish, but 
we found an entrance through a hole cut in the side, 
just large enough to admit the body. The southern 
stairway is completely ruined. We ascended the other 
and found unsightly fortifications around the summit, 
erected by the Arabs in their wars. 

Such is a brief and very incomplete account of this 
remarkable cluster of ruins, probably excelled in mag- 
nitude and interest by no other in the world, except 
the unequalled Karnac. In Karnac, the grandeur of 
design is in perfect harmony with the massive style of 
Egyptian architecture; but here is the strange yet 
pleasing contrast pf grandeur in design, and the grace- 
ful lightness of Corinthian art. 

The ruins of Balbek are sadly disfigured by a Sara- 
cen wall that surrounds them, and numerous erections 
of the same period scattered among and on the ruins, 
when the whole area was turned into a fortress by the 



350 



THEIR ORIGIN. 



utilitarian Arabs. It has been these rough tenants of 
the place to whom we are to attribute much of the 
ruined state of the Balbek temples, for the elements 
seem to have done nought or little of harm to their 
fair proportions. 

It is now generally conceded that these magnificent 
edifices were the work of Antoninus Pius ; perhaps 
they were designed and commenced by the architect- 
emperor Adrian. Mr. Wood, an early visiter of Bal- 
bek, quotes thus from John of Antioch : " ^Elius An- 
toninus Pius built a great temple at Heliopolis, near 
Libanus in Phoenicia, which was one of the wonders 
of the world." They are evidently ruins of a period 
later than the Augustan age. The quantity of orna- 
ment and other peculiarities prove this, and if these 
stupendous structures had been here at the beginning 
of the Christian era, Strabo would never have men- 
tioned Heliopolis without noticing them. 

The history of Balbek is enshrouded in mystery. 
Some suppose it the Baal-Gad of Scripture ;* but we 
must look much further south, near Hermon, for Baal- 
Gad. Others suggest its identity with Baalath, as 
Tadmor with Palmyra,t but Baalath seems rather to 
have been a city south-west of Jerusalem, in the tribe 
Dan.J More sure is our knowledge of the identity of 
the Greek Heliopolis with Balbek. 

Here, Macrobius relates, the Assyrians worshipped 
sun under the name of the Heliopoiitan Jove. It was 
not, probably, until under the Roman sway, that Balbek 
became aught else than a petty village. Then it gradual- 
ly increased in importance until Adrian, in his extensive 
designs, determined to make it a Syrian seat of luxury. 
He failing to complete his intentions, Antoninus Pius 



* Josh xi. 17, and xii. 7. 



f 1 Kings ix. 18. 



% Joshua xix. 44. 



RETURN TO BEIRUT. 



351 



followed out the original design, and Balbek became 
and continued a dignified city, until the Eastern hordes 
overthrew its glory simultaneously with the Roman 
power. 

Such is the most consistent history we can derive 
of the rise and fall of this remarkable place, which is 
so little mentioned by ancient authors, and I might 
add, so little known to the modem world.* 

We spent two nights at Balbek on poor diet, and 
then galloped over the plain towards Beirut. We 
crossed the expanse of Coele-Syria, passed its brooks 
and streams, — reached Zahleh, and ate a meal again by 
the apple orchard, and chatted with the good old 
Christian, — ascended Lebanon, resting a brief while at 
tw r o khans, — and then descended the other side to 
Beirut, losing our way in the dark, and getting into 
innumerable difficulties, yet arriving finally at Beirut, 
under a late risen but glorious moon, at one o'clock in 
the morning, having mounted our horses at five the 
preceding morning, and having been seventeen hours 
of the twenty in the saddle.t 

* The little odd-shaped ruin which we passed before entering Balbek, was a 
wretched heaping together of materials from old temples, evidently set up by 
the Arabs or Turks as a guard-house. 

f In going to Balbek we were 15| hours of travel, — in returning 17 hours, 
The distance cannot be less than fifty miles. 



DEPARTURE FROM BEIRUT— LAODICEA— ALEXANDRIA AD ISSUM- 
TARSUS-RHODES-THE ISLANDS— SMYRNA— QUARANTINE— THE 
HELLESPONT— SEA OF MARMORA— CONSTANTINOPLE— ADIEU TO 
MOSLEM LANDS. 

On the 13th of Jane we rowed out to the English 
steamer " Grand Turk," that lay upon the glassy sur- 
face of the sea before the town. Lebanon was radiant 
with more than usual majesty, and the sunlight 
streamed upon minaret and grove with all the glory of 
its beams. A thrill of regret was ours to leave this 
scene of almost unearthly beauty, and the tear was 
scarce suppressed as we gazed long and steadfastly on 
every feature in the view. Our Egyptian retinue bade 
us an affectionate farewell, the boats were hoisted, the 
anchor weighed, and the paddles of the " Grand Turk" 
commenced their revolutions. We could do nothing 
but enjoy the charming prospect of the Lebanon, its 
groves and villages, and the town which we had left, 
with its old shattered castle, until darkness com- 
pelled us to desist, and urged us to the examination of 
our passenger- list. Six of our number had crossed the 
Arabian desert together ; two others (Americans) had 
been companions in Egypt and Syria ; and our English 
friend and his wife, who had so kindly arranged a 
quasi treaty with old Sheikh Hossein of Akabah, with 



PASSENGERS. 



353 



a view to benefit future travellers, were also of the 
party ; a German professor who had passed some 
time in Egypt accompanied the latter, and four other, 
gentlemen, English, Scotch, French, and Italian re- 
spectively, completed the number of our co-occupants 
of the first cabin. I except a lady and her two chil- 
dren, who remained aboard only one night, having left 
us at Latakiyeh. She was the daughter of the Eng- 
lish Consul-General, who was now residing at the 
mouth of the Orontes. And I except also a Turkish 
Bey and his suite, who, though probably booked as 
cabin passengers, bivouacked principally upon the 
quarter-deck, the dignified Bey alone seeking his night 
quarters below, when his method of getting into a 
berth was a constant source of amusement to our piti- 
less company. 

We left Beirut on Wednesday, and arrived in 
Smyrna the ensuing Tuesday, and during the entire 
trip the sea was as smooth as a mountain lake. This 
calm serenity of Neptune, combined with a cloudless 
sky and an oriental climate, rendered the voyage the 
most delightful we had ever taken. Every day we 
stopped at some port, where an agreeable variety pre- 
sented itself in costume, scenery, and interesting 
associations. Our captain was a gentleman of un- 
affected kindness and careful attention to his duties, 
the boat itself was unexceptionable in cabin and 
kitchen, and (perhaps the greatest delight of all) the 
crew talked nothing but plain, comprehensible Saxon. 

On the morning of Thursday, we found ourselves 
passing pleasantly along the Syrian coast, where the 
snow-capped mountains still formed the prominent 
feature of the view. A ruined Saracenic castle of con- 
siderable magnitude, crowning a hill near the shore, 
drew our attention, beyond which we passed the town 



354 



LAODICEA. 



of Jebili, the Gabala of Strabo, which he mentions as 
a neighbouring little city to Laodicea. At ten o'clock 
we anchored before this Laodicea, now Latakiyeh, 
famous through the East for its delightfully flavoured 
tobacco. The town lies a mile away from the sea, 
among groves of loveliest green. Its little port is now 
almost inaccessible by reason of the rubbish and sand 
that have filled it. A ruined castle stands at its en- 
trance, serving more the picturesque than the useful. 
We rowed past this battered structure, and landed at 
the little village which calls itself the port of Lataki- 
yeh. We noticed many old columns built in the 
walls of the castle and scattered around its base, — ruins 
doubtless of the ancient harbour. Strabo thus speaks 
of this place in his day : " Then comes Laodicea-on- 
sea,* an admirably built city, possessed of a fine har- 
bour, and surrounded by a country which, in addition 
to its general fertility, produces a large quantity of 
wine. It affords the most of the wine for Alexandrian 
consumption, for the whole mountain behind the city 
is one vast vineyard almost to the summit. ***** 
Dolabella injured the place greatly by flying to it and 
suffering here a siege from Cassius, whereby the better 
part of the city was destroyed with the fugitive." The 
place had been originally a Phoenician settlement, but 
Seleucus Nicator, about 300 B. C, induced by the 
fruitfulness of the country and its capabilities for trade, 
founded it anew, under the name of Laodicea, after his 
mother, the wife of Antiochus. After Cassius had 
nearly destroyed the place, Antony conferred on it im- 
portant privileges, as a compensation. More than 200 
years after, Pescennius Niger injured its prosperity, 
and Septimius Severus, his succcessful rival, acted as 



So called to distinguish it from five other places called Laodicea. 



LAODICEA. 



355 



its physician. Under Moslem rule, it has followed the 
usual system of decay common to things Mohamme- 
dan, and in 1797 an earthquake almost shook it out of 
existence. Yet its beautiful situation and its eventful 
history render it a place of no ordinary interest. 

The day was very warm, as we walked along the 
narrow road that led to the town. In the stone walls 
that bounded the path were many fragments of ancient 
columns, others lay half buried in the road, all indica- 
tions of a site of importance in a former age. A 
native in Frank dress met us ; he proved to be the 
English Consul, and furnished us with a guide, inviting 
us kindly to come to his house after we had made our 
examinations of the town. The modern Latakiyeh we 
found of no great interest in itself, differing little from 
other Syrian towns, exhibiting the same narrow streets, 
low houses, semi-picturesque bazaars, and ornamental 
mosques and minaret. The ruins of ancient Laodicea 
were, however, more attractive. At the further end 
of the town we found eight plain columns built in a 
wall, six of which were complete, and near by one 
column of the same sort standing out from any other 
building. Beyond these, we reached an imposing gate- 
way, now converted into a mosque. It is double, 
having archways through each diameter, the side 
arches being much the smaller. Its columns, of which 
there are four, two on either side, are plain shafts with 
Corinthian capitals. In front, and also in the rear, are 
plain pilasters instead of columns. An ornamented 
cornice runs above the arches, and a carved work of 
greaves, breastplates, helmets, and other armour sur- 
round the top. The whole is surmounted by a dome 
of stone, well constructed. The general effect of the 
structure is heavy and clumsy. We were convinced 
it had been a quadrivium, and its date is probably con- 



356 



ANTIQUITIES. 



temporaneous with that of the arch of Janus Quadri- 
frons in Rome, which it resembles in general heaviness 
of design, though its detail is more elaborate than the 
Roman arch. Septimius Severus, who restored Lao- 
dicea in a measure, was probably the builder of both. 

Not far from this antiquity we found another. This 
was four Corinthian columns {three of the side and one 
of the front) supporting a frieze, the interior of which 
was ornamented by carved work of a grape-vine and 
clusters, — an appropriate sculpture for this then vine- 
growing region. This ruin is also built around, and 
forms part of a little mosque, over whose low door is 
a long Arabic inscription from the Koran. We sat in 
a little adjoining garden, while one of our party 
sketched the ruins. These were all of ancient Laodi- 
cea we were able to discover, and I doubt if aught of 
these could boast of an earlier date than the days of 
Septimius Severus. In the noble divan-hall of the 
English Consul, where the breeze could enter unob- 
structed, and the hot rays of the sun were entirely ex- 
cluded, we spent the remainder of the visit ashore, 
smooking sheeshas and drinking the inimitable coffee 
of the Orient. 

At 5| P. M. we weighed anchor, and continued our 
voyage. Before dark we passed the lofty and graceful 
shaped " Mons Casius," that rises by the entrance of 
the Bay of Antioch, the mouth of the Orontes. Pliny 
had such a high idea of this mountain, that he states 
the rising sun could be seen from its top at the fourth 
watch (3 A. M.), while darkness enveloped the base. 

At 4 o'clock the next morning we cast anchor off 
Iscanderoon, known generally as Alexandretta, the 
ancient "Alexandria ad Issum," so called from its 
situation on the Sinus Issicus, or Gulf of Issus, the 
north-eastern corner of the Mediterranean. The 



TARSUS. 



357 



village was utterly unlike anything we had seen, and 
more resembled an American frontier settlement than 
an Eastern town. It is situated on marshy ground, 
and is therefore very unhealthy ; but high hills of love- 
liest green rise close behind it, recalling the verdant 
Highlands of the Hudson, and forming a landscape of 
uncommon beauty. Across the gulf towered the snowy 
heights of Taurus, beyond the confines of Syria. 

As arrivals from the lower Syrian coast were here 
counted as subjects for quarantine, we could not land, 
but contented ourselves with obtaining the ship's boat 
and taking up a position near the beach, where we en- 
joyed a delightful swim. We remained all day anchor- 
ed before the little village, which seemed to slumber 
noiselessly in the extreme heat, the sea maintaining its 
profound calm, everything thus wearing the appearance 
of rest. In such a situation sleep was inevitable, and 
much of the day was dozed away beneath the awnings. 
Now and then we would wistfully glance at the white 
snow on Taurus, but soon turn away in despair, and 
compose ourselves for another nap. 

By evening we left the peaceful roadstead of Iscan- 
deroon (for harbour there was none), and started 
westward towards the snowy mountains. At six 
o'clock Saturday morning, our anchor was again 
dropped off Mersyn, the port of Tarsus. Here we 
noticed the same American looking houses we had 
seen at Iscanderoon, and concluded we had left the 
Syrian style of house architecture behind, and entered 
upon a new order, peculiar to Western Turkey. Such, 
in truth, was the case ; and often afterwards we re- 
marked the resemblance to transatlantic villages in the 
external appearance of the villages of Asia Minor and 
European Turkey; the wood material for edifices 
being a prominent feature of the resemblance, Mer- 
24 



358 



ASIA MINOR. 



syn is a trifling hamlet of five or six houses, situate 
on a small bay, destitute of harbour, but surrounded by 
magnificent scenery. Tarsus is, according to Strabo, 
only five stadia or furlongs from the port, and presents 
a host of historical memories. As capital of Cilicia it 
was a famous city, and the rival of Athens for learning 
and refinement ; it was here where Alexander nearly 
lost his life by bathing in the cold waters of the 
Cydnus, and here Cleopatra captivated the heart of 
Antony. 

" The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne 
Burned on the water; the poop was beaten gold, 
Purple the sails, and so perfumed that 
The winds were love-sick with them ; the oars were silver, 
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made 
The water, which they beat, to follow faster, 
As amorous of their strokes." 

This place is probably the Tarshish to which Jonah 
attempted to flee ; but its crowning glory, in the eyes 
of Christendom, is the fact of its being the birth-place 
of the great apostle of the Gentiles. 

We left Mersyn at 10 o'clock in the morning, and 
sailed along the bold and beautiful coast of Cilicia, 
passing here and there a green islet close to the shore. 
Sunday morning found us off the deep bay of Adalia ; 
the land at the head of which was too distant to be 
visible. Crossing its broad mouth, we arrived before its 
western cape, the 'is^. Ax*a, or " Sacrum Promontorium" 
of Strabo. Here are the Khelidonian Isles, which the 
same author correctly describes as " three rugged 
islands, of equal size, some five stadia apart from one 
another, and six stadia from the main shore." Along 
the eastern front of the Sacred Promontory, we could 
see, in the various crevices of the rocky face, the ruins 
of Phaselis and other towns. 



RHODES. 



359 



We were astonished at the remarkably blue colour 
of the water, that resembled a vast expanse of liquid 
turquoise, comparing well with the gaunt cliffs that 
here rose from its surface. The temperature was in- 
dicated by the mercury at 95° at noon in the shade, — 
the average temperature of that hour on the whole 
trip from Beirut to Smyrna. 

We finished our view of the bold coast on Sunday 
with Castelorizo or Mais, the ancient Antiphellus, over 
whose harbour stood a ruined castle. The mountains 
here came down to the very brink of the sea, in mag- 
nificent groups, which, tinted with the rays of the 
setting sun, formed a scene of remarkable splendour. 

At half-past four on Monday morning we entered 
the miniature harbour of Rhodes, at the northern ex- 
tremity of the island of the same name. Neither 
Knight nor Colossus welcomed our arrival, and the laws 
of quarantine forbade our landing. During the six or 
seven hours we spent in the harbour, we could only 
look upon the exterior of the really pretty town, that 
sits imposingly beside the water, and behind which 
rise hills covered with villas, among which that of Sir 
Sydney Smith was prominent. There are in reality 
two harbours to Rhodes, each of lilliputian dimensions, 
the larger being about a quarter of a mile square. The 
Colossus stood, probably, across the entrance of the 
smaller harbour, — a very inconsiderable width. A 
castle stands on each projection of the two harbours, 
ornamental, though not formidable. 

The people of Rhodes are great bigots, and not a 
Christian lives within the walls. The Bey, our fellow- 
passenger, was a commissioner of quarantines, and 
Rhodes was his destination, where he expected to meet 
several brother Beys, to confer on the subject of quar- 
antine regulations. He accordingly went ashore, and 



360 



THE ISLANDS OF THE AGEAS. 



found, to his chagrin, that his colleagues had come and 
gone, having transacted their business without his pre- 
sence. Poor fellow ! he had to take up his abode in 
the Rhodes lazaretto, and await the return of our 
steamer. Leaving the city of the Knights, we entered 
the iEgean Sea, and now our voyage was a continual 
feast. 

First came Karki, Piscopi, and Nisan, the rocky 
sponge islands ; then we passed between Cos and the 
main land. Cos lies in the jaws of the Ceramicus 
Sinus, and is an island of extreme beauty. The town 
is embosomed in groves, and partially surrounded by a 
strong looking wall. Behind it, the mountains rise in 
grandeur, shutting in the gulf, and making it an appa- 
rent lake. In Cos, the painter Apelles and the physi- 
cian Hippocrates were born. Opposite the island, and 
snugly situate among the mountains of Caria, was 
Boodroom, the ancient Halicarnassus, the native city 
of Herodotus and Dionysius, the historians. We passed 
two or three crowded brigs in this lake-like bay, the 
only vessels we had seen since leaving Beirut. Night 
again fell over our vision as we were passing among 
the Kalydnae Islands, one of which is the " fsecunda 
Calynda" of Ovid. Near these a low rock, with some 
masonry upon it, projecting from the sea, was pointed 
out as the " Pacha's Rock," but wherefore we could 
not discover. 

On Tuesday morning, we looked back on the lofty 
mountains of Samos, among which Pythagoras had first 
seen the light. By its side were the Jess elevated 
heights of the Fournis and Nicaria, the latter being the 
ancient Icaria, named after the unfortunate youngster, 
who, being drowned in his attempt to fly, was washed 
up by the waves on the shores of this island. Soon 
after, we entered the Straits of Scio, that separate that 



PHOCJEA. 



361 



island from the main. Scio is the ancient Chios, but is 
rendered more famous for the awful massacre of its 
population by the Turks, than for any passage in its 
ancient history. The town is beautifully situated at the 
foot of the rocky mountains of the island, in the midst 
of extensive groves. White villas, scattered along the 
side of the straits, glittered in the sun, as we passed 
northward. Rounding the promontory of Melcena, we 
entered the spacious and beautiful bay of Smyrna ; on 
the north of the bay appeared the ancient Phocaea, 
which was a colony formed from Phocis. Herodotus 
gives a detailed account of the Phocaeans, giving them 
the credit of being the first explorers of the Adriatic, 
Tyrrhene, and Western Mediterranean Seas. They 
were driven from their city by the army of Cyrus under 
Harpagus, and while many sought refuge in Chios, Cor- 
sica, and Italy, some returned again to their old town. 
The place is now a village. Marseilles was founded by 
a colony of Phocseans, a fact sufficient of itself to ren- 
der their history worthy of preservation. Beyond 
Phocaea, the Sarabat emptied its waters in the gulf ; 
this river is the ancient Hermus, which received the 
golden sands of Pactolus, and by its side were the white 
hills which marked the site of Leucae, where Androni- 
cus, the pretender to the crown of Pergamus, was 
defeated by Crassus. Passing the long, green, but un- 
inhabited island of Chustan, the bay became narrow 
toward its western end, and we ran along the graceful 
verdant hills that skirt the southern shore. A fine 
group of these, that wear a family likeness, bear 
the title of the " Brothers and Sisters." The low 
white castle, that seems to mark the division between 
Smyrna bay and Smyrna harbour, was now behind 
us, and in full view ahead was Smyrna and its shipping, 
decidedly the most important looking place we had 



362 



SMYRNA. 



seen since Cairo. It is finely located, nearly at the 
head of the long horn-shaped gulf, with all the orna- 
ment of water and green mountain scenery that could 
be desired. Our " Grand Turk" most tantalizingly 
stopped two miles short of the town, and deposited us 
before a huge, ugly, yellow building, which needed no 
sign-board to tell its quality. The sickly colour of the 
edifice, its dreary and retired situation under a precipi- 
tous stony hill, its high walls and barred windows, 
all declared it that which is at once the traveller's rest 
and disquiet — the Quarantine. Twelve long days were 
appointed as the term of our durance within those 
sombre limits. Protestations were useless, and we 
meekly moved ashore with our luggage. The captain 
accompanied us to our lodgings, and a malicious smile 
was on his features as he turned to leave, after con- 
gratulating us on our new abode. There can be little 
said in praise of the Smyrna lazaretto. A large en- 
closure, bounded by a high wall, and divided into two 
parts by a partition-wall, formed the area in which 
was the yellow edifice, and, removed from it, a minia- 
ture structure of like colour, where Spoglio is per- 
formed, that is, where one endures an atmosphere of 
smoke for a half hour, in order to obtain the atmo- 
sphere of freedom three days earlier. In this enclosure 
the grass wore a quarantine hue, and a few orange, 
pomegranate, and pride-of-India trees supplied us with 
slender materials for rural enjoyment. Although the 
sea came up almost to the base of the building, all 
bathing was taboo. We were, moreover, informed by 
a ponderous Bey, who was Supreme Governor of the 
Hygeian territory, that our linen could only be sent 
out to wash after seven days' airing and forty-eight 
hours' soaking ! As this would seriously interfere with 
our ideas of personal cleanliness, we preferred import- 



THE QUARANTINE. 



363 



ing a washerwoman from Smyrna, and succeeded in 
obtaining an old hag, whose very face rendered more 
intolerable the woes of quarantine. The Bey was un- 
bendingly strict in the enforcement of the regulations, 
which seemed to grow in number and severity exactly 
as his despotic soul desired, and we therefore deter- 
mined to be revenged, big with indignation at the 
tyranny of his High Mightiness. 

We had just been sitting under the orange trees, 
when the pompous officer, with a suite of attaches, ap- 
proached, and sat down upon the chairs we had 
left the moment before. This was our signal. We 
all crowded around, and informed him the chairs had 
just been vacated by us, and, therefore, he was our 
companion in quarantine. He sprang up as bitten by 
a serpent, and, dashing the chair ten feet from him, 
profusely vociferated the only two Frank words he 
knew, " No quarantine." We laughed loudly, and 
ridiculed his consternation. He was completely thrown 
off his dignity, while we persecuted him with shouts 
of merriment, when he took to his heels and bolted out 
of the yard, in order to escape our laughter. We had 
frightened him not a little, and if we had desired, could 
have enforced his quarantine ; but we were satisfied 
with his discomfiture, and troubled him him no further. 
The mortified Bey never showed his face again while 
we were occupants of his dominions. 

Our rooms comprised the whole upper story of the 
building, and were furnished by the hotel keeper at 
Smyrna, who duly sent down a company of domestics 
and all things else necessary for our comfort. But the 
sinks of the building were out of order, probably never 
having been in order, and a nauseous stench continu- 
ally filled our apartments. For this reason several of 
our party were taken severely sick, and I doubt not 



364 



AMUSEMENTS. 



that this effluvium was a chief cause of the death of a 
Turkish boy, who had been one of the steerage passen- 
gers in the " Grand Turk." He was laid out and 
buried before our windows, in the enclosure. 

We were driven to every device for pastime during 
our sojourn. We read and smoked, wrote and chatted, 
till aweary — the quoits were introduced, and vigor- 
ously pitched — at length, a horizontal bar was erected, 
and a series of gymnastic performances ensued. One 
of the most brilliant passages of fun, however, which 
we experienced, was a grand game of leap-frog after 
this wise : 

Some forty Turks were in quarantine with us, who 
were close imitators of our Frankish sports, at once 
novelties and amusements to these true believers. We 
were aware that the Turkish costume was not designed 
for the laudable game of leap-frog, and arranged mat- 
ters accordingly. Our positions were duly taken, and 
we infidels ran bounding over one another's backs with 
a rapidity and oddity perfectly marvellous in the eyes 
of Islamism. After losing breath, we withdrew our 
forces, and sat quietly beneath the trees. As expected, 
the Turks immediately took the field, and a dozen bent 
backs were presented to the neophyte leapers. A 
young Moslem, proud of his prowess, opened the 
scene. A short run, a bold leap, and two Turks were 
sprawling upon the ground. Another daring youngster 
followed, and down came two more turbaned sons of 
the Prophet. Cursing the clumsiness of their pre- 
decessors, a third and a fourth attempted the leap, but 
again and again the loose trowsers sent a new couple 
to the ground, while Turk and Frank alike were nearly 
convulsed with laughter. 

At length our days of incarceration expired, the 
physician (a good-natured Italian) pronounced us 



THE ISLANDS. 



3C5 



wholesome members of the community, and informed 
us that we could give up looking out of our windows 
at the bay, and take a closer view of its beauties. On 
the last day of June we left the melancholy spot, and 
were rowed to Smyrna in the noble row-boats that are 
peculiar to that region, and which, for grace, speed, 
and capacity united, have not their equals in the 
world. Our quarantine had been so situated as to 
shut out all view of the city, and it was not till the 
day of our escape that w r e indulged in a protracted 
examination of its external appearance. It lies chiefly 
along the edge of the water, though at its southern 
extremity it covers some hill-sides, where groves of 
tapering cypress mark the place of graves. Behind 
the southern part of the town rises Mount Pagus, a 
rocky height on which is a Genoese castle, built 
around the site of the ancient Stadium. A number 
of vessels were anchored in the harbour, one of which 
bore the colours of our own republic. 

We had a busy day in Smyrna, seeing nothing but 
bankers and consuls, and at 4 P. M. we were aboard 
the " Mentor," a French steamer, en route for Con- 
stantinople. Retracing our way along the beautiful 
bay, we reached the island of Mytilene, the ancient 
Lesbos, where Sappho's muse first sang, and passed 
between this large island and the main. On rising in 
the morning, we were beyond Tenedos, behind which 
the Grecian fleet had lain concealed from the sight of 
the Trojans. The great plain of Troy was stretched 
out beside us, bounded by the range of Ida. Imbros 
was far on our left, and before us was the Thracian 
Chersonese. 

Passing the Sigaean promontory, where Achilles and 
Patroclus were entombed, now covered with wind- 
mills, and the mouth of the Scamander, by which the 



366 THE HELLESPONT. 

Grecian host encamped, we entered the Hellespont, 
Europe on our left and Asia on our right. On either 
side, a Turkish castle guards the straits. The Asiatic 
castle is termed Chanak-Kalessi, and here is a forlorn 
wooden town of the same name, also known as the 
town of Dardanelles, the ancient Dardanus. A dozen 
flags were flying from as many houses, each denoting 
a Frank consulate, and before the town was a fleet of 
shipping. This place is a sort of outpost to Constan- 
tinople. We remained three hours, for some commer- 
cial or quarantine reason which I could not fathom. 
Opposite, was the castle on the hill-side, bearing the 
modest title of " The Lock of the Sea." A village 
surrounds it, and by its side is the mound which is 
said to cover the remains of Hecuba. Further north, 
we passed the point of Abydos and its white castle, — 
then the supposed site of Xerxes' bridge, where the 
straits are narrowest (perhaps one and a half miles 
broad), — and then Sestos was upon the left. Lord 
Byron has connected his name indissolubly with this 
vicinity. At length we passed the pleasant looking 
town of Gallipolis, and entered the Sea of Marmora. 
The Hellespont was pretty, and that's all. Its banks 
were surmounted by low hills, neither cultivated nor 
inhabited for the most part, and it was impossible to 
excite much enthusiasm. We paddled by the Island 
of Marmora in the moonlight, and in the morning we 
were in sight of the minarets of St. Sophia. But that 
was almost all we could see of the Metropolis of Tur- 
key, for a dense fog veiled the city from our view. 
Our steamer paced the waters like a sentinel, back- 
ward and forward, for two or three hours, afraid to 
enter the port during the fog, when at last the mist 
was dissipated, and one of the most gorgeous visions 
ever seen was ours to behold. Palaces, domes, and 



STAMBOUL. 



361 



minarets rose rank on rank from the water's edge ; the 
Bosphorus was alive with gay caiques ; and beyond the 
imperial city, as far as the eye could discern, the green 
banks of this unequalled water was lined with noble 
mansions and smiling villas. Much as we had heard 
of the magnificence of Constantinople, we were aston- 
ished at the scene. The ideal of beauty is here real- 
ized, and the imagination has no cause for employ- 
ment. 

In an hour more, our feet again trod the soil of 
Europe. I do not intend a notice of our twelve days' 
sojourn in the environs of Stamboul. The city of the 
Sultan is almost as well known to the Western World 
as the capitals of France or England. Authors have 
thoroughly described its beauties and its filth, its popu- 
lation and their customs, and have left no fragments 
for me to gather. Artists, too, have brought away 
every street and house in all Stamboul for oar minute 
inspection, and we realize the Arabian story of the in- 
visible man, in looking unseen upon the wonders of the 
Turkish metropolis. Suffice it, then, that our twelve 
days were spent in busy enjoyment of Stamboul, Pera, 
Galata, Scutari, and the unparalleled suburban scenery 
of the Bosphorus, while the kind attentions of the Ameri- 
can missionaries and our legation at the Turkish Court 
were such as shall ever be gratefully remembered. 

On the 15th of July we were again in Smyrna, 
and had time, during the two days of our sojourn, to 
enter more largely into its comprehension. The cara- 
van bridge, the great rendezvous of the camels and 
their owners, was visited ; and Mount Pagus was 
climbed, where we saw the remains of the stadium in 
which Polycarp suffered martyrdom. Hence was a 
splendid view of Smyrna and its noble bay. From 
such positions as this the world looks all happiness 



368 



FAREWELL VIEW OF THE ORIENT. 



below, for we see little else but the glassy water, the 
lofty mountains, the green groves, and the wild valleys 
— the works of God ; but descend the height, and, in 
inseparable union, misery and the works of man arrest 
your eye. 

On the calm, lovely evening of the 17th of July we 
were upon the deck of the French steamer 44 Tancrede," 
watching the rocky summits of Scio, that were fast 
fading from view behind us. The shades of night 
were gathering over the peaceful ^Egean, and the per- 
fect tranquillity of nature conduced to meditation not 
unmixed with sadness. While thus gazing towards 
the land from which we were hastening, and bringing 
in review the enchantments of the Past, darkness en- 
veloped the heights of Scio, and the curtain fell for- 
ever between us and the Lands of the Moslem. 



HINTS FOR TRAVELLERS ON THE NILE, 

BOAT. 

If a person goes solus, take a " cangia" — if there are more, 
a " dahabiyeh." Not more than four travellers can go in one 
boat. If a dahabiyeh is taken, by no means have less than 
ten sailors, including rais and pilot, and make the rais take 
a boy besides to cook for the crew. See that the boat is new, 
and that it has not been used as a grain-boat—else you will 
be overrun with vermin. Sinking the boat before using it is 
sometimes practised, but unless the vessel is alive with ver- 
min it is poor policy, and if the boat is alive with vermin, 
you would do better to obtain another less inhabited. Ex- 
amine the hold and see if it leaks, for if a leaky boat is taken, 
much valuable time is lost on the voyage in baling out. Do 
your examinations personally. If ladies go, oblige the crew 
to wear drawers. Make the contract by the trip, and not by 
the month, allowing yourself (if the voyage is only to Thebes) 
ten days for stoppages to see ruins, &c, You track or sail up, 
and row or sail doivn the river. 



MANAGEMENT OF CREW. 

Never let the rais get the upper hand for a moment ; if 
you threaten him, by no means avoid putting the threat into 
execution, when he continues his misconduct, (rive the crew 
(excluding pilot and rais) for " backsheesh" a Spanish dollar 
among 1 all, (not to each,) three times on the trip, say, at 



370 



APPENDIX. 



Minyeh, at Syoot, and at Thebes, and treat them (pilot and 
rais included) to a sheep twice at least on the voyage. Then 
to the pilot give two Spanish dollars, and to the rais three 
Spanish dollars as " backsheesh," for the whole trip, if you 
are satisfied with them. If you give more, you spoil them 
and render travelling the more expensive to your successors 
on the Nile. 

You can generally avoid flogging any of the crew, though 
in some cases it is absolutely necessary. 

Be firm, yet mild, and Egyptians or Nubians are easily 
managed. If the rais is troublesome, don't scold, but threaten 
him with a visit to some governor of a neighboring village, 
and make no hesitation in conducting him thither if he does 
not alter his behaviour. Above all, treat rais and crew with 
uniform kindness. 

If the rais has conducted himself badly on the whole trip, 
do not by any means, from carelessness or mistaken notions 
of forgiveness, give him any backsheesh. If you do, he has 
no motive for future good behaviour. 

Have your contract drawn up at your consulate in due 
form. Allow the crew one day's stoppage at Syoot to bake 
their bread. 

PROVISION AND UTENSILS FOR NILE VOYAGE. 

You can procure all your eatables and drinkables, and 
kitchen articles, at Cairo, unless you are very fastidious. Go 
with your dragoman, if you have time, and get what you 
can at the native stores, for the Franks are extortionate. 
The following was my list, with the prices, for four persons. 



Bought in Cairo. 




Piast res. 


Bought in Cairo. 




Piastres. 


Rice 


20 okas 


. 50 


Spoons 


6 


9 


Flour 


4 okas 


. 16 


Furnaces (by wt.) 4 3-*7 . 


. 31 


Maccaroni 


10 okas 


. 40 


Cups and saucers 6 pair 


. 30 


Sugar 


25 okas 


. U2£ 


Glasses 


6 


. 6 


Vinegar 


2 okas 


6 


Metal tumbler 


1 


5 


Salt 


1 package 


5 


Rat trap 


1 


. 12 


Coffee 


4 okas 


. 36 


Gridiron 


1 ; 


. 12 


Soap 


6 okas 


. 42 


Table 


1 


. 50 


Knives and forks 6 pairs 


. 24 


Ladles 


2 


. 10 



APPENDIX. 



371 



Bought in Cairo. 




Piastres. 


Ale 


12 bottles 


. 72 


Tin plates 


4 


. 20 


China plates 


3 


. 6 


Smoothing iron 


1 


. 10 


Candles 


16 


. 16 


Canteens 


2 


. 44 


Brick 


1 


5 


Match-box 


1 


. Ok 


Frying-pan 


1 


5 


Salt-cellar 


1 


. 2 


"Wooden spoons 




. 2 


Filter 


1 


. 50 


Hooks 


4 


2 


Carving knife and 




fork 


1 pair 


. 15 


Fire-tongs 


1 


. 6 


Meat knife 


1 


• 8 


Ale basket 


1 


. 2 


Oval plates, small, 2 


. 10 


large 


, 1 


. 10 


Rice sacks 


2 


. 7 


Dish 


1 


. 20 


Shovel 


1 


. 4 


Stew-pan 


1 


. 15 


Blacking 




3 


Brushes 


2 


6 


Cheese 




. 26 


Potatoes 


50 okas 


. 125 


Sauce-pans 


4 


. 166 


Earthen dish 




. 4 


Broom 




2 


Copper polish 




6 


Fruits 




. 70 


Mustard 




9 


Beans 




. 12 


Tobacco-bag 




. 3 


Butter jar 




• U 


Basket 




• u 


Bread and 2 baskets 


. 42 


Butter, fine and common 


. 43 


Honey 




. 14 


Wood 




. 12 


Mashgal 




. 13 


Oil 




. 39 


Two large candles 


. 16 


Table cloth 




. 15 


Kitchen table 




. 12 



Bought in Cairo 


Piastres. 


Tub 


. 18 


Bason, kettle, sieve, &c. 


. 33 


Oil kettles 2 


. 6 


Lanterns 2 


. 10 


15 fowls and 2 pair pigeons 


. 33£ 


Eggs 


. 13 


Cafasses 


. 7 


Wooden mortar 


. 3 


Building of kitchen 


. 15 


Spices . . . 


. n 


Alum, flint, and sulphur 


. 3 


Two chairs 


. 30 


String, nails, &c. 


. 5k 


Bottle 


• 21 


Tobacco 3 okas 


. 60 


Pipes 


. 51k 


Wire 


. Ik 


Copper basin . 


. 35 


Skin for tobacco 


. 2k 


Paper 


. 10 


Vegetables 


. 20 


Meat 


. 16 


Plates 


. 10 


Brandy 


. 50 


Tea i oka 


. 20 


Curry 


. 7 


Mats 


. 10 


Sewing silk 


3 


Egg cups 


. n 


Milk-pot 


. 3 


Biscuit 


. 3 


Blower 


3 


Charcoal 


. 72 


Candles (again) 


. 24 


Food for fowls 


. 1 


Soup-ladle 


5 


Tureen 


6 


Milk 


. 4i 


Screws 


. 7 


Jug : 


• U 


Sundries 


. 6 



2095 

Bought on the Nile, fowls, &c. 667 

2762 
or $124 00 



372 



APPENDIX. 



Total expense of trip from Cairo to Thebes and back — for 
four persons : 



Dahabiyeh ..... $125 00 

Backsheesh . . . . . 12 00 

Provision and outfit . . . . 124 00 

Dragoman's wages (6 weeks) . . . 37 50 

Cook's wages (6 weeks) . . . . 15 00 

Sightseeing . . . . 16 50 



$330 00 

Thus $330 is the total expense of a six weeks trip to 
Thebes and back for four persons. That is $82 50 for each 
individual, or $1 96 (say $2) per day apiece. 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 

As in Upper Egypt it is difficult to find change for large 
coins, it is necessary to take a large large quantity of copper 
five-para pieces (f of a cent). They can be put in a matting- 
basket. 

For our trip, we found $25 worth just a right amount. 

Don't fail to take crackers or biscuit with you, as bread is 
only to be found at a few places, and the biscuit soaked in 
cold water is the best substitute. Twice-baked rolls left to 
dry, are also excellent when soaked. 

Remember future travellers, and don't lavish your money 
needlessly on guides and donkey-boys. Don't stop the songs 
of your crew,— you might as well prohibit steam from an engine. 
Singing is the " sine qua non" of their work. 

HINTS TO TRAVELERS ON THE DESERT. 

EXPENSES OF JOUNNEY FROM CAIRO TO HEBRON, VIA MOUNT SINAI, 
AKABAH, AND PETRA. 

I premise, by stating that one traveller cannot go comforta- 
bly with less than four Camels, one for himself, one for his 
sheikh, one for his servant, and one for his luggage. 



APPENDIX. 



373 



Four camels . 
Petra taxes 
Backsheesh . 
Three days at Sinai 
Stay at Akabah 
Outfit and way expenses 
Dragoman's wages, (he acts as cook too) 
Food purchased on the route 
Dress to the Sheikh . 
Sundries 



Piastres. 
2120 
120 
100 
100 
80 
1475 
600 
80 
150 
100 



Total expenses of one person 



Piastres 4925, or $221. 
or $7 36 per day. 



The particulars of the camel-price are thus : 



From Cairo to Sinai, 
Sinai to Akabah, 
Akabah to Hebron 



150 piastres. 
100 

280 " 



Petra taxes are 100 piastres a person for entrance into the 
valley, and 20 piastres a person for ascending Mount Hor. 

The particulars regarding outfit and way expenses, I give, 
by presenting our own for four persons, as follows : — 



DESERT OUTFIT. 





Piastres. 




Piastres 


Four water-skins . 


61 


Vinegar . 


6 


Two water-casks . 


41 


Blacking . 


2 


Four Zemzemias . 


41 


Two lanterns 


7 


Candles 


70 


Three okas good tobacco . 


60 


Bags and carpets for tent . 


77£ 


Seven okas common tobacco 


49 


Irons for kitchen . 


20 


Leather bags for do. 


7 


Irons for tent 


11 


Copper polish 


8 


Wood for tent 


15 


Cutting tobacco 


2 


Four mallets 


6 


Lantern sticks 


5 


Sago 


20 


Tins 


15 


Rice 


10 


Cheese 


24 


Maccaroni . 


16 


Oil 


7 


Camel bags 


46 


Kitchen towels 


15 


Dried fruits 


62 


Cords and ropes . 


19 


Two cook's knives . 


5 


Camel nets (4) 


65 


Broom 


2 


Kitchen sundries . 


19 


Fly brush . 


3 


Books 


232 


Two locks . 


2 


Bags 


18 


Seven okas flour . 


35 


Levinge 


125 



25 



374 



APPENDIX. 





Piastres 


Figs 


10 


Tent . 


700 


Small kitchen tent 


70 


Private tent 


35 


Potatoes . •■ 


100 


Oil 


22 


Honey 


59 


Pipes • . 


21 


Hammer . 


6 


Fans 


10 


Mirrors 


11 


Cups, saucers, knives, forks, 


Ac. 30 


Three large boxes 


130 


Cooking butter 


26 


Mats for skins 


12 


Tin for honey 


6 


Cord 


3 


Charcoal . 


56 


Fresh butter 


23 


Jar for same 


4* 


Salt 


1 


Needles 


1 


Cafasses 


3 


Oranges and lemons 


16i 


Sewing the bags . 


8 


Paper 


10 


Sugar . • 


iU 


Coffee . \ . 


49 


Mattresses, &c. 


65 


Washing the same . 


25 


Sherbet 


60 


Preserved roses 


32 


Biscuit 


107| 


Baskets 


2i 


Maccaroni . 


15 


Tea 


• 12 


Sundries from Frank store 


470 





Piastre?. 


Box 


S3 


Dates 


14 


Fowls 


52 


Pigeons 


8 


Eggs . . . 


1 A 
10 


Padlocks . 


51 


Candlestick 


7i 


Extra camel nets- . 


221 


Bread 


30 


Biscuit (again) 


47£ 


Water 


11 


Contract drawn 


6a 


Calico for mattresses 


8 


Meat 


14 


Fowls, (again) 


8| 


Milk 


13 


Tongues . 


28 


Wood 


3 


Vegetables 


9 


Stools 


70 


Basin 


4 


Oranges, (again) . 


8 


Fan 


3 


Iron pins for tent . 


8 


Tomato sauce 


18 


Bedsteads . 


180 


Rolls 


65 


Pillows . 


48 


Arrow root 


15 


Pistols 


185 


Powder and shot . 


20 


Cartridges . 


26 


Bullets 


7 


Lantern 


4 


Twine 


5 



4486 



EXPENSES ON THE ROUTE. 

Piasters. 

Bill at Suez Hotel ..... 166 

Sight seeing . ■ . . . . . 36 

Provision on route . . . . . 700 

Sundries ....... 517 

1419 

Total outfit (fee, for four . . . Piastres 5905 



APPENDIX. 



315 



The trip across the desert is thus seen to be nearly four 
times as expensive (per day) as that upon the Nile. 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 

You take camels at Cairo from the Towarah Arabs, to go to 
Akabah. There you take camels from the Alawin Arabs, 
to go to Hebron. 

Pay at Cairo in advance for the route as far as Sinai ; but 
leave the portion of the route from Sinai to Akabah to be paid 
at Akabah, when you dismiss the Towarah. 

Pay at Akabah two-thirds the price to Hebron, and at 
Hebron pay the remainder. 

Take gold, (Turkish guineas), as the money for the desert, 
and a little silver for incidental expenses, but not copper. 

Procure a well-known Sheikh at Cairo, to conduct you. I 
can recommend Besharah and Mousa, of the Waled Said, and 
Nassar ebn Mansur, of the Owarmy. 

For dragoman, Ibrahim Yyse, a Cairene, is incomparable, 
being honest and economical, two rare and valuable traits in 
a dragoman. 

At Akabah don't let your Towarah go until you are safely 
off with your Alawin, or the latter will be extortionate, seeing 
you completely in their power. For stoppage the Towarah 
will expect five piastres per day for each camel. 

Take water-casks as well as skins, and let both be soaked 
two weeks or more before starting, to remove any unpleasant 
taste. 

Take bread baked repeatedly and well dried ; when about 
to use it, soak it slightly in water; it is admirable. Take 
abundance of coffee and tobacco for the Arabs. Keep the 
keys of your water-casks yourself. Have stirrups for your 
dromedaries. For a lady, let a saddle be made like an easy- 
chair, with high back and sides. 

After leaving Cairo, good water is found — 

First, at Wady Feiran, 10 days' journey. 

Secondly, at Sinai, 1 " 

Thirdly, at Petra, (the Akabah water being only tolerable), . 9 " 

Lastly, at Hebron, 5 " 



r 



376 



APPENDIX. 



The expenses of travelling in Palestine are a medium 
between those in Egypt and those on the Desert. 

Each person ought to have four horses at least. From 
Jerusalem to Beirut via Tiberias and Akka each horse costs 
one hundred and fifty piastres, or more than six dollars. If 
you go from Jerusalem to Beirut via Damascus, the price is 
two hundred and twenty piastres for each horse. 

In making the excursion from Beirut to Balbek and back, 
we paid ten piastres for each horse for the first day, and 
sixteen piastres for every other day absent. 

The whole trip from Alexandria to Thebes, Cairo, Mount 
Sinai, Petra, Jerusalem, and JBeirut, may be made by a single 
person for five hundred dollars, the time being four months. 
Of course some economy must be practised in this case. It 
can be done the easier if the traveller goes in company with 
others. 



TEMPERATURE AS INDICATED BY THE THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 



March 14, 6 A. M. Syoot, 

15, 3 P. M. G-ebel Aboofoda, 
" 16, Noon. Sheikh Abadeh, 
" 18, 9 A. M. Gebel e' Tayr, 
" 19, 7 A. M. Aboo-Girgeh, 
" 20, 1A.M. Aboo-Girgeh, 
" 21, 6£ A. M. Aboo-Girgeh, 
" 22, 8 A. M. Beni Sooef, . 

23, 1h A. M. Beni Sooef, 
" 25, 8 A. M. Rigga, 
" 25, 2 P. M. Rigga, 



Degrees. 
55 
80 
94 
64 
48 
53 
51 
59 
53 
56 
80 



Nile water, 



Degrees, 

68 
70 
68 
65 
64 
62 
63 
63 
62 
64 



This short list is inserted to show that the equable tempera- 
ture of the Egyptian climate is greatly exaggerated. I add 
some observations of the temperature in the Desert and Syria, 
for comparison : — 



APPENDIX. 



377 



THE DESERT. 

Degree." 

April 9, 9 P. M. Between Cairo and Suez, .... 60 

" 10, 6 A. M. " " . . . .65 

" 10, 1P.M. " " . . . 87 

u 10, 9 P. M. • . . . , . .64 

" 11, 6 A. M. " " . . . . . 60 

" 11, 1 P. M. " " . . . . 86 

" 11, 7 P. M, " •* ... . 71 

" 13, 6 A. M. Peninsula of Sinai, . . . . .70 

" 13, 2 R M. " " . . . . 98 

" 14, 6 A.M. " " . . . . . 70 

" 14, 1 P. M. " " . . . 100 

" 15, 6 A. M. " . . . . .66 

" 15, 2 P. M. " " ". . . . . . 101 

" 16, 3 P. M. " " . . . . 102 

" 17, 5k A. M. " " . . . . . 83 

" 17, 2 P. M. " . . . . . 97 

" 18, 9 A. M. ■ " " . . . . (in sun.) 125 

" 18, 2 P. M. '• " . . . . (?) 102 

" 24, 2 P. M. " " . . . . . 83 

" 25, 6 A.M. " " 73 

" 25, 3 P. M. " " . . . . 81 

" 26, 6 A.M. " " . . . . .67 

" 26, 2 P.M. 11 " . . . . 92 

" 27, 6 A.M. " " . . . . . 67 

" 27, 2 P.M. " " 82 

" 28, 6 A. M. ' " . . . . . 63 

" 28, 2 P. M. " " . . . . 85 

May 1,6 A.M. Akabah, . . . . . . .75 

"1,2 P.M. " • 100 

" 1,6 P.M. " 82 

" 2, 6 A. M. Arabah, . , , . . . 77 

" 2,2 P.M. " . . . . . • 87 

" 3, 6 A. M. " . . . . . . 62 

" 3, 2 P.M. " 91 

« 3,6 P.M. " . " (?) 82 

" 5, 6 A. M. Petra, . . . ... .61 

" 5,3 P.M. " . . . . . . • 71 

" 7, 6 A. M. West of the Arabah, . . . . .68 

" 7, 2 P. M. " " 96 

" 8,6 A.M. " " . . . . • 76 

" 8, 2 P.M. " " 97 

" 9,6 A.M. " " . . . . • • 74 

" 9, 2 P.M. " • " . . , . 92 

« 10, 6 A. M. " " - 73 

" 10, 2 P. M. " . • . • • 85 



sis 



APPENDIX. 



It will be observed that, on April 15, a change of thirty- 
five degrees took place in eight hours. 

PALESTINE. 

Degrees 

May 28, 6 P M. Bethel, . . .58 

" 29, 6 A.M. "V . . . 52 

" 30, 1 P. M. Jenin, . . .66 

" 31, 6 A. M. " . . 65 

June 2, 7 A. M. Tiberias, . . .11 

" 5, 2 P. M. Tyre, 80 



Degrees. 



(Water of Lake), IS 



VALUABLE BOOKS 

PUBLISHED BY 

& BROTHERS, 285 BROADWAY. 

NEW YORK. 



Abeel's (Rev. David) Life. By his Nephew, $ 50 
Abercrombie's Contest and The Armor. 32mo. 25 
Adam's Three Divine Sisters— Faith, Hope, &x. . 60 
Advice to a Young Christian. By a Village 
Pastor. With an Introduction by Rev. Dr. 
Alexander. 18mo. . . . .30 

Alleine's Gospel Promises. 18mo. ... 30 

Life and Letters. 12mo. . . .60 

Alexander's Counsels to the Young. 32mo. gilt, 25 
Ancient History of the Egyptians, Assyrians, 
Chaldeans, Medes, Lydians, Carthaginians, 
Persians, Macedonians, &c. 4 vols. 12mo. 2 00 
Anderson— The Annals of the English Bible. 
By Christopher Anderson. Revised, abridg- 
ed, and continued by Rev. S. I. Prime. 8vo. 1 75 

The Family Book ; or, The Genius and 

Design of the Domestic Constitution. 12ino. 75 
Australia, the Loss of the Brig, by Fire. 18mo. 25 
Bagster — The Genuineness, Authenticity, and 

Inspiration of the Sacred Volume. 12mo. . 60 
Baxter's Saint's Rest. Large type. 12mo. . 60 

Call to the Unconverted. 18mo. . . 30 

Choice Works. 12mo 60 

Bible Expositor. 18mo 50 

Bickersteth's Treatise on Prayer. 18mo. . 40 

Treatise on the Lord's Supper. 18mo. 30 

Blunt' s Undesigned Coincidences in the Writ- 
ings both of the Old and New Testaments, 
an Argument of their Veracity. 8vo. . . 1 26 
Bogatzky's Golden Treasury. 18mo. . . 50 
Bolton (Miss) Memoir, or the Lighted Valley, 75 
Bonar's Night of Weeping. 18mo. . . 30 

Story of Grace. J8mo 30 

Morning of Joy, 40 

Bonnet's Family of Bethany. 18mo. . . 40 

Meditations on the Lord's Prayer, . 40 

Borrow's Bible and Gypsies of Spain. 8vo. 75 
Boston's Four-fold State. 18mo. ... 50 

Crook in the Lot. 18mo. ... 30 

Brown's Explication of the Assem. Catechism, 60 
Bridges on the Christian Ministry. 8vo. . 1 50 

On the Proverbs. 8vo 2 00 

On the cxix. Psalm. New ed. 8vo. . 1 00 

Memoir of Mary Jane Graham. 8vo. . 1 00 

Works. 3 vols., containing the above, 5 00 

Brown's Concordance. New and neat ed.24mo. 20 
Do. gilt edge, 30 

Buchanan's Comfort in Affliction. 18mo. . 40 

On the Holy Spirit. 18 mo. 2d ed. . 50 

Bunbury's GTory, and other Narratives, . . 25 
Banyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Fine edition, 
large type, with eight illustrations by How- 
land. 12mo 1 00 

Do. do. gilt, 1 50 

Do. do. close type, 18mo. 50 

Jerusalem Sinner Saved. 18mo. . 50 

Greatness of the Soul. 18mo. . . 50 



Butler's Complete Works. 8vo. . . $1 50 

Sermons, alone. 8vo 1 00 

Analogy, alone. 8vo 75 

and Wilson's Analogy. 8vo. . . 1 25 

Burn's Christian Fragments. 18mo. . . 40 
Calvin on Secret Providence. 18mo. . . 25 
Cameron's Farmer's Daughter. 18mo. . . 30 
Catechisms — The Assembly's. Per hundred, 1 25 
Do. with Proofs, . . . . 3 00 

Brown's Short Catechism. Per hund. . 1 25 

Smyth's Ecclesiastical Catechism. 18mo. 25 

Willison's Communicant's. 18mo. . 10 

Key to the Assembly's Catechism. l8mo. 20 

Cecil's Works ; comprising his Sermons, Origi- 
nal Thoughts on Scripture, Miscellanies, and 
Remains. 3 vols. 12mo. with portrait, . 3 00 

Original Thoughts on Scripture, separate, 1 00 

Charnock's Choice Works. 12mo. . . 60 
Chalmers' Sermons, enlarged by the addition 
of his Posthumous Sermons. 2 vols. 8vo. 

with a fine Portrait, 3 00 

— Lectures on Romans. 8vo. . . . 1 50 

Miscellanies. 8vo 1 50 

Select Works; comprising the above. 

4 vols. 8vo. with portrait, . . . . 6 00 

Evidences of Christian Revelation. 2 v. 1 25 

Natural Theology. 2 vols. . . . 1 25 

Moral Philosophy, .... 60 

Commercial Discourses, 60 

Astronomical Discourses, ... 60 

Christian Retirement. 12mo 75 

Clarke's Daily Scripture Promises. 32mo.gilt, 30 
Clark's Walk about Zion. 12mo. ... 75 

Pastor's Testimony, .... 75 

Awake, Thou Sleeper. .... 75 

Young Disciple, . . ' . . .88 

Gathered Fragments, . . . . 1 00 

Experience. By the same author. 18mo. 50 

Colquhoun's World's Religion. 18mo. . . 30 
Commandment with Promise. By the author 
of "The First Day of the Week," "Guilty 
Tongue," &c. With beautiful illustrations 

by Howland. 16mo 75 

Cowper — The Works of William Cowper ; 
comprising his Life, Letters, and Poems, 
now first collected by the introduction of 
Cowper's Private Correspondence. Edited 
by the Rev. T. S. Grimshaw. With numer- 
ous illustrations on steel, and a fine portrait 
by Ritchie. 1 vol. royal 8vo. . . . 3 00 

Do. do. sheep, 3 50 

Do. do. half mor. 4 00 

Do. do. cloth extra gilt, 4 00 

Do. do. mor. extra, 5 00 

Poetical Works, separate. 2 vols. . 1 00 

Cumming's Message from God. I3mo. . 30 
Christ Receiving Sinners, ... 30 



2 CARTERS' PUBLICATIONS. 



Cunningham's World without Souls. 18mo. $ 30 
Dale — The Golden Psalm ; an Exposition of 

the ICth Psalm. By Rev. Thos. Dale, M.A. 60 
Davies' Pennons. 3 vols. 12mo. . . . 2 00 
Davidson's Connections. New ed. 8vo . . 1 50 
David's Psalms, in metre. Large type, 12mo. 75 

Do. do gilt edge, 1 00 

— — - Do. do. Turkey mor. 2 00 

Do. 18mo., good type. plain sheep, 38 

Do. *' do. Turkey mor. 1 25 

— Do. 48mo., very neat pocket ed. mor. 25 

— Do. " " " gilt edge, 31 

— Do. " " " tucks, 50 

D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation. Care- 
fully revised, with various additions not 
hitlierlo published. 4 vols. 12mo. half cloth, 1 50 

— Do. " " full cloth, 1 75 

Do. " " 4th vol. half cloth, 38 

— — Do. " " « full cloth, 50 

Do. " " Complete in 1 vol. 1 00 

Life of Cromwell. 12mo. . . .50 

Germany, England, and Scotland, . 75 

Luther and Calvin. 18mo. ... 25 

Dick's Lectures on Acts. 8vo. . . . 1 50 
Dickinson's Scenes from Sacred History. 3ded. 1 00 
Doddridge's Rise and Progress. 18mo. . . 40 

Life of Colonel Gardiner. 18mo. . 30 

Duncan's Sacred Philosophy of Seasons. 4 v. 3 00 

Life by his Son. With portrait. 12mo. 75 

Tales of the Scottish Peasantry. 18mo. . 50 

Cottage Fireside. 18mo 40 

— (Mrs.) Life of Mary Lundie Duncan, . 50 
— ■ - — Life of George A. Lundie. 18mo. 50 

Memoir of George B. Phillips, . 25 

Erskine's Gospel Sonnets. New edition, . 1 00 
English Pulpit; a collection of Sermons by the 

most eminent English Divines. 8vo. . .150 
Farr's History of the Egyptians. 12mo. . . 75 
— ■— History of the Persians. 12mo. . . 75 
=— History of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, 

Medes, Lydians, and Carthaginians. l2mo. 75 
— - History of the Macedonians, the Selucldae 

in Syria, and Parthians. 12mo. ... 75 
Ferguson ? s Roman Republic. 8vo. . . . 1 50 
Fisk's Memorial of the Holy Land. With 

steel plates 1 00 

Fleury's Life of David. 12nio. ... 60 
Foster's Essays, on Decision of Character, &c. 

Large type, fine edition, 12mo. . . 75 

Do. Close type, 18mo. . 50 

■ Essay on the Evils of Popular Ignorance 75 

Ford's Decapolis. 18mo 25 

Free Church Pulpit; consisting of Discourses 

by the most eminent Divines of the Free 

Church of Scotland. 3 vols. 8vo. . . 5 00 
Fry (Caroline) The Listener. 2 vols, in one, 1 00 
— - Christ our Law. 12mo 60 

— Sabbath Musings. 18mo. ... 40 
— — The Scripture Reader's Guide. 18mo. . 30 
Geological Cosmogony. By a Layman. 18mo. 30 
God in the Storm. 18mo. .... 25 
Graham's (Miss Mary J.) Life and Works. 8vo. 1 00 

-Test of Truth, separate. 18mo. . . 30 

Green— The Life of the Rev. Ashbel Green, 

D.D., by the Rev. Dr. Jones, of Philadelphia, 2 00 
Griffith's Live while you Live. 18mo. . . 30 



Haldane's Exposition of Romans. 8vo. §2 50 

Hall ;Jos. Bishop of Exeter,) Select Works, 75 ] 

Ham.lton's Life in Earnest 30 ! 

Mount of Olives, ;;o | 

Harp on the Willows, . . . . 30 i 



Thankfulness, 30 

Life of Bishop Hall, .... 30 

The Happy Home. Illustrated, . . 50 

Life of Lady Colquhoun. With portrait, 75 

Hawker's Poor Man's Morning Portion. 12mo. 60 

" Evening Portion, . . 60 

Zion's Pilgrim. 18mo 30 

Hervey's Meditations, 40 



Hetherlngton's Hist, of the Church of Scotland, 1 50 
Hengstenberg's Egypt and the Books of Moses, 
or the Books of Moses Illustrated by the 



Monuments of Egypt. 12mo. ... 75 

Henry's (Matth.) Method for Prayer, . . 40 

Communicant's Companion, . . 40 

Daily Communion with God, . . 30 

Pleasantness of a Religious Life, . 30 

Choice Works. I2mo 60 

Henry (Philip) Life of. 18mo. ... 50 
Hill's (George) Lectures on Divinity. 8vo. . 2 00 
(Rowland) Life. By Sidney. 12mo. . 75 



History of the Puritans in England, and the 
Pilgrim Fathers. By the Rev. W. H. Stowell 
and D. Wilson, F.S.A. With 2 steel plates, 1 00 
History of the Reformation in Europe. 18mo. 40 
Housman's Life and Remains. 12mo. . 75 1 

Home's Introduction. 2 v. royal 8vo. half cloth, 3 50 j 

Do. 1 vol. sheep, . . . 4 00 

Do. 2 vols, cloth, . . . 4 00 

Do. 2 vols, library style, . 5 00 

(Bishop) Commentary on the Psalms, . 1 50 j 

Howard (John) or the Prison World of Europe, 1 00 | 
Howell's Life— Perfect Peace. 18mo. . 30 j 

Howe's Redeemer's Tears, and other Essays, 50 
Huss' (John) Life. Transl. from the German, 25 
Jacobus on Matthew. With a Harmony, . 75 

Questions on do. 18mo. ... 15 

On Mark, Luke, and John, . 

James' Anxious Inquirer. 18mo. ... 30 

True Christian. 18mo. ... 30 

Widow Directed. 18mo. . . .30 

Jane way's Heaven upon Earth. 12mo. . 60 i 
— — Token for Children 18mo. . . .30 
Jay's Morning Exercises. 12mo. . . .75 

Evening " 12mo. . . 75 , 

■ Christian Contemplated. 18mo. . 40 : 

Jubilee Memorial. 18mo. . . .30 

Jerram's Tribute to a beloved only Daughter, . 30 
Johnson's Rasselas. Elegant edition, . . 51 
Key to the Shorter Catechism. 18mo. . . 20 
Kennedy's (Grace) Profession is not Principle, 30 

■ Jessy Allan, the Lame Girl. 18mo. . 25 

Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations. 4 vols. 12mo. 4 00 
Krummacher's Martyr Lamb. 18mo. . 40 

Elijah the Tishbite. 18mo. . . 4(1 < 

Last Days of Elisha. 12mo. . 75 j 

Life in New York. 18mo 40 i 

Lowrie's Letters to Sabbath School Children, 25 j 

— (Rev. W. M.) Life. Edited by his Father, 1 50 ! 

Lockwood's Memoir. By his Father. ISmo. -20 
Luther's Commentary on Galaiians. 9vo. . I 50 . 
Martin's (Sarah) Life. 18mo 30 j 



CARTERS' PUBLICATIONS. 



Mackay— The Wyckliffites; or, England in 

the loth Century $ 75 

Martyn's (Henry) Life. 12mo. . . . 60 

Mason's Essays on the Church. 12mo. . . 60 

•' on Episcopacy. 12mo. . . 60 

Marshall on Sanctification, .... 50 

Martyrs and Covenanters of Scotland. 18mo. 40 

Malcolm on (he Atonement. 18mo. . . 30 

McCrindell— The Convent, a Narrative, . 50 

McGilvray's Peace in Believing. ]8mo. . 25 

McGhee on the Ephesians, . . . . 2 00 

McLeod's Life and Power of True Godliness, GO 

McCheyne's (Rev. Robert Murray) Works. 2 v. 3 00 

— — Life, Lectures, and Letters, separate, 1 50 

— — =— Sermons, separate, . . . . 2 00 

— Familiar Letters from the Holy Land, 50 

McFarlane— The Mountains of the Bible, their 
Scenes and their Lessons. With four illus- 
trations on steel. 12mo. .... 75 
— — Do. do. extra gilt, 1 25 
Meikle's Solitude Sweetened. 12mo. . . 60 
Miller's (Rev. Dr. S.) Memoir of Rev. Dr. Nisbet 75 

— (Rev. John) Design of the Church, . 60 
Michael Kemp, the Farmer's Lad. 18mo. . 40 
Missions, The Origin and History of. By 

Choules and Smith. With 25 steel plates, 3 50 
Moffat's Southern Africa. 12mo. ... 75 
Monod'sLucilla; or, the Reading of the Bible, 40 
More (Hannah)— The Book of Private Devo- 
tion. Large type, elegant edition, 18mo. . 50 
— — Do. do. do. gilt, 75 

Do. do. small ed. 32mo. 20 

Do. do. " gilt. 30 

Morel I 's Historical and Critical View of the 
Speculative Philosophy of Europe in the 

19th Century 3 00 

Murphy— The Bible Consistent with Geology, 

My School Boy Days. 18mo 30 

My Youthful Companions. 18mo. ... 30 

The above two bound in 1 vol. . . 50 

Newton's (Rev. John) Works. 2 vols. 8vo. . 3 00 

— — Life, separate. 18mo. .... 30 

— Memoir of M. Magdalen Jasper, . . 30 

Noel's Infant Piety. 18mo 25 

North American Indians. Illustrated. 18mo. 50 

Olmsted's Counsels for the Impenitent, . . 50 

Old White Meeting-House. 18mo. , . 40 

Old Humphrey's Observations, ... 40 

• Addresses, ...... 40 

— Thoughts for the Thoughtful, . . 40 
— — — Homely Hints, ..... 40 
- — — Walks in London, .... 40 

— Country Strolls, ..... 40 

Old Sea Captain, 40 

Grandparents, 40 

— Isle of Wight, 40 

— — Pithy Papers 40 

Pleasant Tales, ..... 40 

Opie on Lying. New edition, 18mo. . . 40 

Owen on Spiritual Mindedness. 12mo. . . 60 

Paley's Horse Paulinae. 12mo. ... 75 

Pascal's Provincial Letters. Edited by M'Crie, 1 00 

— Thoughts on Religion. 12mo. . . L 00 

Paterson on the Assemb. Shorter Catechism, . 50 
Pike's True Happiness. 18mo. ... 30 
Religion and Eternal Life. 18mo. . 30 j 



Pike's Divine Origin of Christianity. 18mo. $ 30 
Philip's Devotional Guides. 2 vols. 12mo. . 1 50 

Marys, ....... 40 

Marthas, 40 

Lydias 40 

Hannahs, 40 

Love of the Spirit, 40 

Young Man's Closet Library, ... 75 

Pollok's Course of Time. The most elegant 
edition ever puulishjed; printed on super- 
fine paper. IGnio. with portrait, cloth, . 1 00 

gilt, cloth, extra, . . . . 1 50 

Turkey morocco, gilt, . . . 2 00 

Small copy, close type, 18mo. . 40 



Life, Letters, and Remains. By the Rev. 

James Scott, D.D. With Portrait, 16mo. . 1 00 
Tales of the Scottish Covenanters. Print- 
ed on large paper, uniform with the above. 

With portrait, 75 

Do. do. small copy, 18mo. 50 

Helen of the Glen. 18mo. . . . 25 I 

Persecuted Family. 18mo. ... 25 

— - Ralph Gemmell. 18mo 25 

Porteus' Lectures on Matthew. 12mo. . . 60 

Psalms in Hebrew. Neat miniature edition, 50 

Reign of Grace. By Booth 75 

Retrospect, The. By Aliquis. 18mo. . . 40 
Richmond's Domestic Portraiture. Edited by 

Bickersteth. New and elegant edition, . 75 | 

Annals of the Poor. iHmo. . . 40 j 

Rogers' Jacob's Well. 18mo 40 

Romaine on Faith. 12mo. . . 60 

Letters. 12mo 60 

Rowland's Common Maxims of Infidelity, . 75 

Rutherford's Letters. New edition, 8vo. . 1 50 

Scott's Force of Truth. 18mo. ... 25 

Scougal's Works. 18mo. . . . 40 j 

Scripture Narratives. By Dr. Belcher. 12mo. 60 
Select Works of James, Venn, Wilson, Philip 

and Jay. Eight complete works in 1 vol. . 1 50 
Select Christian Authors ; comprising Dodd- 
ridge, Wilberforce, Adams, Halyburton, 
a Kempis, &cc. With Introductory Essays 

by Dr. Chalmers, Bishop Wilson, &c. 2 v. 2 00 

Serle's Christian Remembrancer, ... 50 

Sinner's Friend. ]8mo. . . . . 25 I 

Sigourney (Mrs. L. H.) Water Drops. 2d edit. 75 

The Girl's Book. 18mo„ illustrated, . 40 

The Boy's Book. " " . 40 

Child's Book. Square, " . 35 j 

Sinclair's Modern Accomplishments, . 75 

Modern Society 75 . 

Charlie Seymour. 18mo. . , 'AO j 

— — Hill and Valley. 12mo. . . .75 
Simeon's Life, by Cams. With Introductory 

Essay by Bishop Mcllvaine. With portrait, 2 00 j| 

Sir Roland Ashton. By Lady Catharine Long. 75 j 
Sketches of Sermons on the Parables and M ir- 
acles of Christ. By the author of the Pulpit 

Cyclopaedia. ISmn 75 j 

Smyth's Bereaved Parents Consoled. 12mo. 75 j 

Sorrowing Yet Rejoicing. I81110. . . . 30 

Do. do 32mo. gilt. . . 30 

Spring (Rev. Gardiner, D.D.) — A Pastor's Tri- j; 
bute to one of his Flock, or Memoirs of the 

late Hannah L. Murray. With a portrait, . ] 50 1 




CARTERS' PUBLICATIONS, 



Stevenson's Christ on the Cross. 12mo. $ 75 

Lord our Shepherd. 12mo. ... 60 

Simmer's Exposition- of Matthew and Mark, . 75 

Siuldard's British Pulpit. 2 vols. 8vo. . . 3 (K) 

Symington on the Atonement. 12ino. . . 75 

Taurus 1 Works translated. Edited by Murphy, 2 00 

Tennent's Life. 18mo 25 

Tholuck's Circle of Human Life. 13mo. 30 

Taylor's (Jane) Life and Correspondence, . 40 

Contributions of Q. Q,. New edition, with 

fine illustrations by Howlaiid, 2 vols, in one, 1 00 

Original Poems. 18mo 30 

Display, a Tain. 18mo 30 

Mother and Daughter 30 

Essays in Rhyme. 18mo. ... 30 

Original Poems and Poetical Remains. 

With 12 fine illustrations by Howland, . 40 
(Isaac) Loyola ; or, Jesuitism in its Rudi- 
ments I 00 

Natural History of Enthusiasm. 12mo. . 75 

(Jeremy) Sermons. Complete in 1 vol. . 1 50 

Turretine's Complete Works, in original Latin, 
The Theological Sketch Book ; or, Skeletons 
of Sermons, so arranged as to constitute a 
complete body of Divinity. From Simeon, 

Hannam, Benson, &c. 2 vols. . . . 3 00 
Tyng's Lectures on the Law and Gospel. New 

edition, large type, with a fine portrait, 8vo. 1 50 

Christ is All. 8vo. with portrait, . 1 50 

Israel of God. 8vo. enlarged edition, . 1 50 

Recollections of England. 12mo. . 100 

Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian 

War. Translated by William Smith. 8vo. 1 25 



Turnbull's Genius of Scotland ; or Sketches 
of Scottish Scenery, Literature, and Relig- 
ion. New ed. with 8 fine illustrations, 16mo. 1 00 

Pulpit Orators of France and Switzer- 
land, with Sketches of their Character and 
Specimens of their Eloquence. With por- 
trait of Fcnelon, $1 00 

Waterbury's Book for the Sabbath. ISmo. . 40 

Whately's Kingdom of Christ and Errors of 
Romanism, 

Whitecross' Anecdotes on Assem. Catechism, 

White's (Hugh) Meditation on Prayer. ISmo. 

Believer; a Series of Discourses. 18mo. 

Practical Reflections 01: the Second 

Advent. ISmo 

(Henry Kirke) Complete Works. W r ith 

Life by Southey. 8vo. . 



75 

30 
40 
40 

40 

1 50 



Do. extra gilt, . . .2 

Wilson's Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life, 
Do. on large paper, 16mo. with 8 illus- 
trations, from original drawings, byCroome, 
Billings, &c, engraved by Howland, . 

Do. do. extra gilt, 1 

Williams (Rev. John), Memoir of, Missionary 
to Polynesia. By Eb. Prout. With two il- 
lustrations, 12mo. 

Winslow on Personal Declensiou and Revival, 
Wylie's Journey over the Region of Fulfilled 

Prophecy, . . 

Xenophon's Whole Works. Translated, . 2 00 
Young's Night Thoughts. Elegant edition, 

16irto. with portrait 1 00 

Do. do. extra gilt, 1 50 



1 00 
60 



30 



NEW BOOKS 



Blunt's Coincidences and Paley's Hor?e Paul- 

inae. 2 vols, in one, 8vo. . . . §2 00 
Brown's, Rev. John, D.D.. Exposition of the 

First Epistle of Peter. 8vo 

Broken Bud, or Reminiscences of a Bereaved 

Mother. lGmo 

Cecil's, Cath., Memoir of Mrs. Hawkes. 12mo. 
Cheever, Rev Dr., Lectures on the Pilgrim's 

Progress. New edition, 12rno. . . . 1 00 
DavidY Psalms, with Brown's Note?. ]8mo. 

sheep, 50 

Dickinson's. R. W., D.D., Responses from 

the Sacred Oracles. 12mo. .... 
Duncan, Mrs., Children of the Manse, lfimo. 1 00 
D > do. Gilt. 1 25 

, Mary Lundie. Rhymes for my Children. 

Hooker, Rev. Henn., Uses of Adversity. ISmo. 30 

. Philosophy of Unbelief. 12mo. . 75 

James, J. A., Young Man from Home. J8:no. 30 

Christian Professor. 12mo. . 75 

Kennedy, Grace, Anna Ross. With six fine 

illustrations. 13mo. . . . . . 30 

Ley burn's, Rev. John, Soldier of the Cross, 

12mo 

Line upon Line. 18mo 30 

Low lie, Rev. John C, Two Years in Upper 

India. 12mo 75 



Matthews, Rev. James, D.D., The Bible and 
Civil Government. 12mo. . . . $1 00 

M'Cosh, Rev. J., The Divine Government, 

Physical and Moral. 8vo. 
M'Leiland, Prof. Alex , on the Canon and In- 
terpretation of Scripture. 12mo. . 75 
New Cobwebs to catch Little Flies. Illustrated. 
Pastor's Daughter, by Louisa P. Hopkins. . 40 
Peep of Day. New edition. 18mo. .0 30 
Pollok's Tales of the Covenanters. Illustrated 
edition, lb'mo. ■ . . . . 75 

Do. do. Gilt. . 1 00 

Powerscourt's, Lady, Letters and Papers. 
12mo. .... . 75 

Precept on Precept. 18mo. . . 30 

Smith, Rev. James. The Believer's Daily Re- 
membrancer, or Green Pastures for the 
Lord's Flock. . . . . 

Taylor, Jane, Hymns for Infant Minds. Illus- 
trated. Square. ... 

Waugh, Rev. Alex., D.D., Memoir of, with 
Selections from his Correspondence, &e, by 
Dr. Hay and Dr. Belfrase. 12mo. Portrait. 
Wilberforce's Practical View. Large type, 

fine edition. 12mo 

Winer's Idioms of the Language of the New 
Testament. 8vo 2 50 

R. Carter & Brothers have nearly ready the first volume of the " Works of John Owen," to be 
pleted in sixteen volumes octavo. It is their intention to is^ae a volume every three months till the 
le are issued. 



Neutralizing agent: Magnesi 
Treatment Date: Dec. 2002 



;eper process, 
jm Oxide 



PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 



